No PUC, no fuel — where the rule applies and from when
A vehicle without a valid Pollution Under Control certificate can be refused petrol or diesel outright. This is already how Delhi operates. The same model extends across the National Capital Region later in 2026 — but those are two different rules with two different dates, and it is worth knowing which one applies to you.
Delhi began enforcing "No PUC, No Fuel". Petrol pumps across the city stop dispensing fuel to vehicles that cannot show a valid Pollution Under Control certificate. Enforcement is backed by checkpoints and police deployment, with ANPR cameras and voice alerts at pumps.
CAQM Direction No. 101, approved at the Commission’s 28th full meeting on 15 May 2026, extends the same model to the whole National Capital Region — Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida and the other NCR districts. Fuel stations are to verify PUC status before dispensing, using ANPR cameras.
The penalty is separate from the fuel refusal
Being turned away at a pump is an administrative measure. The offence itself sits in Section 190(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and since the 2019 amendment it carries imprisonment of up to three months, or a fine of up to ₹10,000, or both — plus a three-month disqualification of the driving licence. You can be fined for driving without a valid PUC whether or not you tried to buy fuel that day.
PUC validity, in short
New vehicles
A PUC issued at the time of sale is valid for one year
BS-VI vehicles
Typically renewed once a year
Older vehicles
Typically renewed every six months
Where to get one
Authorised PUC centres, including most petrol pumps — the test takes a few minutes
Validity is printed on the certificate. Check that date rather than assuming an interval — it is the date the enforcement system reads.