New Delhi: As air pollution in Delhi reaches monstrous levels, the traffic police slapped fines to the tune of a whopping Rs 47 crore on motorists for pollution certificate violations between October 1 and 24, an official told PTI on Wednesday.
More than 47,000 challans were issued to motorists by the Delhi police. Vehicle owners have to cough up Rs 10,000 as penalty for not possessing a valid pollution under control certificate. The courts issue these challans.
The Delhi Traffic Police data indicated that a special drive was initiated in October, which resulted in the issuance of 47,363 challans for PUC violations to motorists between October 1 and 24.
It is a fact that vehicles have grown exponentially in the city, which has increased the pollution levels.
The official was quoted as saying to the news agency that special drive was launched at various locations, including ITO Chowk, Ashram Chowk, Peeragarhi, Mehrauli and Anand Vihar this month by traffic department and around 47,343 motorists were caught without pollution or expired PUC certificates till October 24. The official pointed out that the drive is still on and surprise checks on vehicles will continue to be carried out .
2,50,761 challans issued for PUC violations
This year till October 24, as many as 2,50,761 challans have been issued for PUC violation, the data also reveals. Last year, the number was 2,32,885 and in 2022, it was 1,64,638 during the same period. The officer pointed out that the number of challans mentioned in the data includes every kind of vehicle, including heavy transport vehicles.
The increase in the number of violations highlights the nagging issue of vehicular pollution in the city, which is known for its alarming air quality levels, the officer said.
On Wednesday morning, Delhi’s air quality was recorded in the ‘poor’ category with an AQI as high as 278, up from 268 recorded on Tuesday, the Central Pollution Control Board data indicated.
