Argus News - No PUCC without Clearing Pending Challans, Says Orissa High Court

Cuttack, Feb 10: The Orissa High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) related to the issuance of Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC).

The court made it clear that vehicle owners must first clear all pending challans before applying for a PUCC.

The judgment came after strong arguments presented by Advocate General Pitambar Acharya on behalf of the state government. The High Court emphasized that under Section 167, Sub-section 12 of the Motor Vehicles Act, if challans remain unpaid, applications for PUCC cannot be processed.

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The PIL had sought relaxation in the issuance of PUCC despite outstanding challans. However, the court ruled that compliance with traffic penalties is a prerequisite for obtaining pollution clearance certificates. This decision reinforces the principle that road safety and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.

The ruling is expected to have a wide impact across Odisha, as thousands of vehicle owners with pending challans will now be required to settle their dues before approaching authorized centres for PUCC.

By linking PUCC issuance with challan clearance, the High Court has underlined the importance of accountability among vehicle owners.

The dismissal of the PIL marks the end of the case, setting a precedent for similar matters in the future.

Earlier, the state government had announced a one-time waiver of all pending fines related to violations of pollution control norms. As per the decision, if a vehicle owner obtains a fresh PUC certificate, all previous challans issued for pollution-related offences will be automatically cancelled.

The Transport Authority had confirmed that this relaxation was based on an earlier announcement made by the Transport Minister regarding the easing of PUC compliance rules.