Pollution Under Control certificate
Also called: PUC, PUC certificate · Topic: Geographical Issues: Pollution, Urban Waste, Slums and Land Degradation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A Pollution Under Control certificate (PUC) is a document every vehicle on the road must carry. It shows that the vehicle's exhaust (the smoke from its tailpipe) was tested at a testing centre and stayed within the legal limits. These limits cover gases such as carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC). The test must be repeated from time to time, and the certificate renewed. The PUC is the main everyday check on pollution from vehicles. But it only works if the testing is honest and the testing centres are inspected.
Example
In Delhi, the CAG (the national auditor) found in its Report No. 2 of 2022 that over 1.08 lakh vehicles got PUC certificates even though their CO and HC levels were above the legal limit. Delhi's 969 testing centres, most of them at petrol pumps, were never inspected by the government or audited by an outside agency. So a vehicle could carry a valid certificate and still pollute.
Don't confuse with
- Bharat Stage emission norms: BS norms (such as BS-VI) are standards that a vehicle must meet when it is made and sold. A PUC is a repeated check on a vehicle already on the road, to see whether it still stays within limits.
- Remote sensing of vehicle emissions: roadside devices read a moving vehicle's exhaust without stopping it. A PUC test is done once in a while at a fixed testing centre, with the vehicle standing still.