Over 4.5 lakh PUC challans issued in Delhi till Oct 27: Traffic police data

As many as 4.53 lakh challans were issued to vehicles for not having a valid pollution under control (PUC) certificate between January 1 and October 27 this year, data shared by Delhi Traffic Police revealed. The number of such challans has seen a five fold rise since 2022.

A total of 4,53,262 challans were issued for PUC-related violations during the period, the data accessed by HT shows. The figure comes against 8,63,166 challans issued in the whole of 2025, 5.98 lakh in 2024, 2.32 lakh in 2023 and 1.64 lakh in 2022.

“We have been focusing on stricter enforcement against vehicles that do not have valid PUC certificates. The objective is to ensure compliance with emission norms and discourage vehicles that contribute to air pollution from plying without a valid PUCC,” a senior traffic police officer said.

“The number has increased over the years as stricter action is taken to curb pollution in the national Capital”.

Winter pollution and enforcement measures

The development comes as Delhi prepares for the winter pollution season, when vehicular emissions are among the sources of concern. A valid PUC certificate is intended to establish that a vehicle complies with prescribed emission standards.

The year-wise figures point to a sharp rise in challans, from 1.64 lakh in 2022 to 8.63 lakh in 2025. However, the 2026 figure covers only the period until October 27.

“The focus is not merely on issuing challans but on ensuring that vehicle owners comply with pollution-control requirements. Regular checks and enforcement drives are important to deter violations and the drives will now increase,” the officer said.

The Delhi Traffic Police has also directed its personnel to strictly enforce pollution under control (PUC) norms, stop visibly polluting vehicles and impose maximum penalties, as Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) came into force across Delhi-NCR on October 21 amid poor air quality.