Argus News - Government Waives Pending Pollution Fines with Fresh PUC Certificate

Cuttack, Jan 29: In a major relief to vehicle owners, the state government has announced a one-time waiver of all pending fines related to violations of pollution control norms. As per the new decision, if a vehicle owner obtains a fresh Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate, all previous challans issued for pollution-related offences will be automatically cancelled.

The Transport Authority confirmed that this relaxation is based on an earlier announcement made by the Transport Minister regarding the easing of PUC compliance rules. The new provision has come into effect from the beginning of this year, that is, from the first week of January.

Officials clarified that the waiver applies only to fines related to pollution violations. If a vehicle has pending penalties for other offences such as driving without documents, speeding, or signal jumping, those fines must be cleared first. Only after settling non-pollution-related dues will the pollution challans be waived.

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According to the Transport Department, within the last 10 days alone, penalties worth nearly Rs.10 crore have been waived under this scheme, providing significant relief to thousands of vehicle owners across the state.

However, the government has also made it clear that this relaxation is temporary. As announced earlier by the Transport Minister, strict enforcement of PUC checks will begin from 1st April. After that date, violators will face heavy penalties without any scope for waiver.

The initiative is being seen as both a relief measure and a warning, giving vehicle owners a final opportunity to update their documents before the stricter enforcement comes into force.

Compiled by: Krishna Priyadarshini Hota