28 buses impounded as Delhi transport department steps up anti-pollution drive

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) The Delhi Transport Department on Friday intensified its anti-pollution enforcement drive under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), impounding 28 buses, including interstate vehicles, in a day for violating emission norms, officials said.

Enforcement agencies inspected 4,927 vehicles across the city in the past 24 hours and issued 3,970 challans, they said.

Of these, 2,390 challans were issued by the Delhi Traffic Police for Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) violations, 285 by transport enforcement teams, and 1,114 were filed through automatic number plate recognition cameras.

Eleven vehicles were penalised for GRAP violations by the Transport Department, while the traffic police issued 170 GRAP-related challans. As many as 238 vehicles were allowed to ply after compliance, according to officials statement.

The department said around 100 goods vehicles have been impounded so far this month for pollution-related violations as enforcement has been tightened at key congestion points and city entry locations, including Kashmiri Gate, Geeta Colony and Mori Gate.

Taking a tough stand against irregularities at Pollution Under Control (PUC) centres, the Transport Department said 28 centres have been suspended so far, while licences of two have been cancelled. Action has also been initiated against two more centres.

In one case of alleged malpractice, a police complaint was lodged at Gokulpuri police station against a PUC centre accused of issuing forged certificates, the statement reads.

Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh said strict enforcement against polluting vehicles would continue, while ensuring that citizens are not inconvenienced at PUC centres. He also directed senior transport department officials to personally inspect PUC centres across Delhi and report any irregularities directly to him.

"We are enforcing pollution norms firmly while ensuring that vehicle owners face no difficulty at PUC centres. Any irregularity at these centres will be dealt with strictly. Clean air for Delhi and transparent, hassle-free services for citizens remain our top priorities," Singh said.

The department has also written to the transport commissioners of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, urging strict action against out-of-state vehicles found operating with forged PUCCs. PTI NSM NSM NSD NSD