Welcome 'No PUCC, No Fuel' rule but effective enforcement would be difficult: Petrol dealer's body

New Delhi, Dec 16 (PTI) The Delhi Petrol Dealers’ Association (DPDA) on Tuesday welcomed the "No PUCC, No Fuel” rule to be enforced from Thursday in view of plummeting air quality, but noted that its effective enforcement would be an "extremely difficult and arduous task".

In a statement, the association said it has consistently maintained that petrol pumps are not an enforcement agency and also deal in essential commodities.

The implementation of the "No PUCC, No Fuel" rule is the responsibility of the competent authorities vested with statutory powers. Any attempt by petrol pump staff to enforce this rule may lead to law-and-order disturbances, a position the DPDA has repeatedly emphasised on several occasions.

In these challenging times, when air pollution is gravely impacting public health, extraordinary steps are indeed necessary, it noted.

"We welcome the initiative taken by the Delhi government. However, effective enforcement of this directive remains an extremely difficult and arduous task," the statement read.

The DPDA requested the government to ensure effective implementation of the order by deploying personnel from the concerned enforcement authorities at every petrol pump.

The association said it wholeheartedly supports all measures being taken by the Delhi government to combat the severe air pollution crisis that is causing immense hardship to the residents of the national capital.

It also stressed that the city is suffering more from trans-boundary pollution than from sources within the city limits.

"Pollution does not respect geographical boundaries. Measures confined solely to the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi are unlikely to yield the desired results unless uniformly implemented across the entire National Capital Region (NCR)," the statement noted. PTI SLB NB