Delhi Traffic Police intensifies action against vehicle pollution violators

The Delhi Traffic Police has strengthened its crackdown against pollution violators, especially those still plying their old vehicles, with deployment of teams at 170 locations across the city. The clampdown plan is a part of the Delhi government's Winter Action Plan against the rising air pollution in the capital.

At a recent meeting conducted to announce emergency measures to deal with the pollution crisis in the city, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal directed all concerned departments, including traffic, to enforce strict guidelines to curb pollution. “We are already working on the winter action plan in our bid to curb pollution," a senior Delhi Traffic Police officer said in the meeting.

The department has been impounding old diesel and petrol vehicles and also checking vehicles for valid pollution under control (PUC) certificates. At each of the 170 identified locations across the traffic circles, the department has deployed teams at three different spots to check whether the PUC of a vehicle. Most of these spots are located near petrol pumps where vehicles can be checked easily and drivers can be advised to immediately get PUC, in case they don't have one.

Further, teams have been deployed at 13 pollution ‘hotspots’ in the city to keep a check on the level of pollution in those areas and relay the information further up so that necessary action can be taken.

In October, the Delhi Transport department launched a massive enforcement drive against those vehicles which do not have a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate. Motorists in the national capital were asked to show the PUC document to the teams deployed at random fuel stations.

The traffic department teams have already issued 59, 644 challans for PUC certificate violations, and 1,201 challans against those plying 10 and 15 years old vehicles from January 1 to October 31 this year. The teams also impounded 855 vehicles that were 10 or 15 years old during the same period.

Action is also being taken against big vehicles such as trucks which are found driving with uncovered construction material, likely resulting in a mix of such material with air. At least 873 such vehicles have been challaned during the period. Further, such vehicles that are not bound for Delhi are being diverted from borders towards peripheral highways.

(with inputs from PTI)