No PUC, no fuel — where the rule applies and from when
Written and checked byManju Shekhar· Motor Law & Compliance
A vehicle without a valid Pollution Under Control certificate can be refused petrol or diesel outright. Delhi has operated this way since December 2025, and the same model has applied across the rest of the National Capital Region since 1 October 2026 — two rules with two start dates, but today the effect is the same everywhere in NCR.
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, extended the same model to the whole National Capital Region — Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida and the other NCR districts. Fuel stations 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.