The Arvind Kerjriwal-led government on Wednesday announced to increase the number of pollution under control (PUC) checking centres for the convenience of Delhi residents and said it is exploring additional locations to establish new PUC checking centres within the city.

The decision was taken after the Transport department recently found that many PUC checking centres at petrol pumps were “non-operational”.

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The Transport department has requested the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) to open new PUC checking centres at their sites.

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said, “We are ensuring that vehicles comply with pollution norms is crucial for improving Delhi’s air quality. By increasing the number of PUC checking centres, we aim to make it more convenient for citizens to get their vehicles tested and certified. We appreciate the cooperation of DMRC and IGL in this endeavor.”

Currently, Delhi has over 900 PUC checking centers, including more than 700 located at petrol pumps.

It may be mentioned that in 2017, the Supreme Court mandated all state transport departments across the country to establish PUC checking centres at every fuel station. Recently, the Transport Department discovered that some PUC checking centres were not complying with this order. Consequently, enforcement teams have been directed to take strict action against non-compliant PUC checking centres, including suspending their operations within the city.