Delhi Government's new decision to make Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate mandatory for purchasing fuel has not gone down well with petrol pump owners in the capital. As per new directives, any dealer found selling fuel to vehicle's without a valid PUC shall be booked under Section 20 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, which means that both the pump owner as well as the attendant can be imprisoned for up to six years for selling fuel to a customer not holding a valid PUC certificate. The dealers have called this move unfair and threatened to go on indefinite strike from December 1st, 2014, the same day when the Government's new rule shall be enforced.
Currently Delhi has about 60 lakh registered vehicle owners and Delhi Petrol Dealer Association's managing committee decision to shut 400-odd fuel stations in the city can cause a lot of inconvenience. Speaking more on the occasion, Atul Peshawaria, President of DPDA (Delhi Petrol Dealer Association) said, “We are very upset with the notification and have decided that all petrol pump dealers in the city will go off work on December 1, the day the government will be implementing its decision to make PUC certificates mandatory for refueling. Petrol pump dealers are being forced by the government to implement its decision despite the fact that we are not the authority concerned. If our staff fails to read the expiry date on a PUC certificate and gives fuel to a motorist, then we will be thrown into jail, which is not fair.”
Raising questions over the safety of their employees over the new rule, Peshawaria added, “Every one in Delhi is a VIP, and especially after a few drinks. Just imagine the danger our employees will have to face on a daily basis. In any case, it is they and we owners who stand to lose the most.” The vehicle owner shall be fined Rs.1,000 under the Motor Vehicles [MV] Act for driving without a valid PUC. On the other hand, Muktesh Chander, Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said, “From December 1, we will launch a dedicated drive against drivers without PUCs to ensure complete enforcement of the notification.”
