Bhubaneswar, Jan 27: The Odisha government on Tuesday withdrew its directive mandating “No PUCC, No Petrol” after the Orissa High Court questioned the legality of the order. The state submitted an affidavit before the court, confirming that the controversial instruction had been rolled back, officials said.

The directive, issued by the Transport Department a few months ago, required petrol pump owners to deny fuel to vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC). Additionally, the department had instructed that vehicles with pending traffic challans would not be eligible to obtain pollution certificates. These measures were challenged through multiple public interest litigations (PILs), leading to judicial scrutiny.

During the hearing before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice M.S. Raman, the High Court categorically stated that payment of traffic challans cannot be made mandatory for obtaining PUCC. The bench also struck down the Transport Department’s order that barred vehicles with challans from receiving pollution certificates.

The court clarified that even if a vehicle has pending challans, it must still be allowed to secure a pollution certificate. The judges directed the authorities to update the ‘Vahan’ portal accordingly and ensure that the public is duly informed of the revised norms.

The matter has been posted for further hearing next week, with the court expected to review compliance with its directions.

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Advocate Ranjan Kumar Raut, representing one of the petitioners, welcomed the decision, stating that the earlier directive had caused undue hardship for vehicle owners and was beyond the scope of the law.

The ruling is expected to bring relief to thousands of motorists across Odisha, who had raised concerns about being denied essential services despite fulfilling pollution control requirements. The High Court’s intervention underscores the balance between enforcing traffic discipline and ensuring citizens’ rights are not curtailed through administrative overreach.