Mayur Vihar Phase-II

NEW DELHI: Mayur Vihar resident Vishal Yadav waited for over five hours at a pollution checking centre on the busy NH-9, braving the harsh sun and high humidity to get a PUC certificate for his vehicle.

“I had left a queue midway twice before, but today I’m determined to get a PUC certificate for my car. I was left with no option but to take leave from office to get this work done,” Yadav said.

Since September 1, when the amended Motor Vehicle Act came into force, there has been a tremendous rush at the 950-odd PUC centres across the city. The queues seem to be getting longer by the day and the situation more chaotic.

While the Mayur Vihar Phase-II PUC centre visited by Yadav is located next to the wide NH-9, which can accommodate a huge queue of vehicles, space is at a premium at other locations. Varun Sharma, a resident of Vinod Nagar, was seen holding a sheet of paper listing vehicles serially. As the PUC centre near his house doesn’t have enough space, vehicle owners have come up with this “token” system.

“Instead of standing in a queue, vehicle owners return after some time depending on how they are placed on the list. I was handed the list by the person who got his car checked before me. I will pass it on to the next person,” Sharma said.

Kshitij Agrawal, another vehicle owner, said, “The PUC kiosk has just two people who are busy conducting the pollution checks. That is why we took this initiative.”

Despite the token system being in place, arguments and scuffles between a number of vehicle owners could be seen at many centres.

Many complained that Delhi government should have anticipated the rush and made adequate arrangements. “Since the centres are unable to deal with the rush and their server is also crashing frequently, the government should give more time to motorists before fines are imposed for not carrying a valid PUC certificate,” said Bharat Saxena, a vehicle owner.

In contrast to the Odisha government, Delhi government is unlikely to keep the hefty fine for not carrying a valid PUC certificate in abeyance. “Delhi is one of the most polluted cities in the country and we are fighting a battle against air pollution. In such a condition, we can’t be lax even if other state governments take such a decision,” a transport department official said.

