Do you know your vehicle’s PUC status? Most Delhi-NCR drivers don’t, says study

The PUC certificate, also known as the Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC), is used to determine if the Internal Combustion Engine of a concerned vehicle meets the desired carbon emission levels as prescribed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Interestingly, a recent study by Park+ Research Labs revealed that 63 per cent of the respondents were unaware about the status of their cars PUC certificate.

The survey was answered by 5,200 Delhi NCR car owners. While 63 per cent of the respondents stated that they are unaware about the status of their cars PUC certificate, 11 per cent of the car owners did not know what a PUC certificate was and where to get it renewed. Meanwhile, 27 per cent of the respondents admitted they 'did not care' when asked if they were aware that a non-PUC certified car could contribute to higher emissions and worsen air pollution. The study highlighted that vehicles contributed around 40 per cent of PM2.5 emissions and a staggering 81 per cent of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in Delhi-NCR, as per the study.

Poor state of Delhi NCR’s vehicular pollution level

Earlier a study conducted by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) in collaboration with the Delhi and Gurugram revealed that a considerable percentage of vehicles in Delhi and Gurugram emit pollutants above the PUCC limits in real-world driving conditions. The study further stated that the PUCC test is not reflective of real-world driving emissions.

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The ICCT has also said in its study that due to limitations of the PUCC procedure, infrastructure to use remote sensing in the short term to complement the PUCC inspection procedure can be implemented. Around 45 per cent of the vehicles on which the study was conducted were petrol, 32 per cent were CNG and 23 per cent were diesel models.

Interestingly, the study found that not only petrol and diesel vehicles but CNG-powered vehicles too emit high levels of pollutants despite being dubbed as cleaner vehicles compared to their petrol and diesel counterparts.

The CNG vehicles were found emitting high levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx) particles into the environment during real-world driving. The study found that CNG vehicles had, in some cases, 14 times higher real-world emissions than lab-approved limits.

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