No Pollution Check Without This Sticker, Warns Delhi Transport Department
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): In a move to tighten enforcement of vehicle pollution norms, the Delhi Transport Department has issued clear instructions to all Pollution Under Control (PUC) centers across the city: no vehicle will be granted a pollution certificate unless a hologram sticker is affixed to its windshield.
The order follows a directive from the Supreme Court issued on January 27, emphasizing the importance of color-coded chromium-based stickers that indicate the type of fuel a vehicle uses—petrol, diesel, or CNG. These stickers, along with High Security Registration Plates (HSRP), have now been made mandatory as part of ongoing efforts to reduce vehicular pollution in the capital.
Vehicles arriving at PUC centers without the required hologram sticker are being turned away. The Transport Department has initiated communication with over 850 PUC centers, instructing them to strictly comply with the new rule. Moreover, the department is working on updating its software systems to ensure that pollution certificates cannot be issued or uploaded unless the hologram sticker is detected.
The enforcement is already underway. According to Bibek Banerjee, General Secretary of the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association, PUC centers have begun recording videos during pollution tests to capture proof of the hologram sticker’s presence on the windshield. Vehicles failing to meet this requirement are being denied certification.
To ensure widespread compliance, the Transport Department has also started sending SMS alerts to vehicle owners who have not yet installed the stickers. These messages now carry a warning: no hologram sticker means no PUC certificate.
In earlier enforcement actions, the department had even halted the processing of fitness and permit applications for vehicles lacking the mandatory sticker. The new measures are part of a broader campaign to combat air pollution in Delhi by ensuring stricter adherence to environmental regulations.
