A valid driving license, valid insurance cover, and the Pollution under Control Certificate (PUC) are compulsory documents that every vehicle owner must carry while driving a motor vehicle on Indian roads. All vehicles private or commercial require PUC certification. The Indian government has made the Pollution Under Control -known as the PUC certificate mandatory under the 1989 Central Motor Vehicle Rule. The PUC test tests and calculates any vehicle’s release or emission, and thoroughly checks whether the vehicle complies with the usual pollution rules and directives.
Validity
- A PUC Certificate is always issued with the new vehicle and its validity is for a period of one year.
- After the expiry, you are required to get a new PUC Certificate through a PUC testing center.
- The new certificate is valid for six months and a new one needs to be obtained post expiration of said validity.
- The cost ranges between Rs.60 to Rs.100, depending on the vehicle being tested and its fuel type.
Where to find the testing centers
- At a petrol pump that is authorized to carry out the emission tests.
- At authorized emission testing centers.
- At service centers that are authorized to carry out emission tests.
You can locate PUC centers near you via the following portal:
https://vahan.parivahan.gov.in/puc/views/PUCCenterList.xhtml
(Select the state and an official list of PUC centers will appear. Choose a center that you find accessible go ahead with the PUC procedure.)
Information provided on the PUC
- The PUC certificate serial number
- The license plate number for your vehicle
- The date of the PUC test
- The expiry date of the PUC Certificate
- The PUC test reading
Process
The process is very simple, you just need to go to the nearest center, and the following is to be done:
Diesel Vehicles:
In the case of PUC testing of diesel vehicles, the car’s accelerator is pressed fully to get the correct reading of the emission level. This process is repeated five times, and the average of these readings are taken as the final reading each time the reading is recorded.
Petrol Vehicles:
In regard to the petrol vehicles for PUC checking, the car is turned on and the engine is kept running without the accelerator being applied. The method is only performed once, and the reading is recorded as the final reading.
The vehicles should meet the emission criteria of Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Hydrocarbons in accordance with the table shown below.
https://www.araiindia.com/CMVR_TAP_Documents/Part-01/Part-01.pdf
Usually, the certificate is given on the spot.*
PUCC Software
An application named PUCC, ‘mParvahan’ has been launched by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways which will provide pollution checkpoints all over India.
The application catches the smoke via Application Program Interface (API) given by the manufacturer, vehicle number plate via Webcam, and will send the OTP to you as an owner of the vehicle.
Then, the PUC certificate will be issued to you based on the type of fuel like petrol, diesel, and the type a four-wheeler or a two-wheeler, etc. is according to the rules and regulations pertaining to pollution.
The link below provides the User manual by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
file:///C:/Users/Lenovo/Downloads/PUC-UserManual.pdf
Importance of PUC Certificate for Insurance
- When renewing your vehicle insurance, it’s essential that you also have a valid PUC certificate to have an effective insurance renewal.
- Most of the insurance companies while renewing your vehicle insurance policy does not ask for the PUC but put a seal on the policy mentioning that your claim will not be valid and payable without PUC.
- The Supreme Court passed a law that states that at the time of renewing the insurance plan, it is important to associate insurance with a PUC certificate.
- The legislation also notes that vehicles that do not meet such rulebooks will be restricted from extending insurance coverage by way of renewal.
Penalty
- According to Rule 115 of Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989, you must carry a valid PUC certificate in the vehicle. This means you must always have the PUC Certificate in the vehicle and it must be presented immediately when requested by any officer, not below the rank of Sub-Inspector of Police or Motor Vehicles Inspector. https://morth.nic.in/sites/default/files/CMVR-chapter5_1.pdf
- Not carrying the PUC is a punishable offense and is liable for prosecution as per Section 190(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act. The motor driver will be penalized with a charge of INR 1000 if it is for the 1st time offense and INR 2000 for each of the following faltering.
THE MOTOR VEHICLES ACT, 1988 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Note: All documents, licenses, under MV Act and applications for extensions or which have expired on 20th Feb 2020 will be valid till 30th June 2020.
