Ghaziabad: Petrol pumps across Ghaziabad and Noida are expected to get automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras within the next seven to 10 days to strengthen enforcement of the ‘no PUCC, no fuel’ rule. The cameras will scan vehicle registration numbers and check for valid pollution under control certificates, eliminating the need for fuel station staff to enter vehicle details on their phones manually.The move follows technical glitches in the food and civil supplies department’s mobile application that disrupted the initiative on the first three days since its Oct 1 rollout. District supply officials in both the NCR cities said the server stopped working for the better part of all three days due to multiple requests. Subsequently, most of the fuel pumps stopped checking PUCCs altogether.“We are in constant touch with the technical team and are working on the app. The load from eight UP districts has put a lot of load on the app, and that is why it could not function. We are hoping that it will come on track by tomorrow,” Ghaziabad district supply officer Amit Kumar Tiwari told TOI.Besides Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad, the ‘no PUCC, no fuel’ initiative has also been rolled out at Hapur, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat and Shamli.On Saturday, district magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mandar, who met representatives of petrol pump owners over the installation of the ANPR cameras, said, “One camera each will be installed at Ghaziabad’s 123 fuel pumps. These cameras will help to automatically capture a vehicle’s registration number and verify if it has a valid PUCC.”Under the rule, fuel stations are expected to check a vehicle’s PUCC before refuelling it. Staff currently enter vehicle details on the department’s mobile application to verify the certificate. The cameras are meant to automate that step.Fuel pump owners will install the cameras themselves, officials said. Each ANPR camera costs Rs 2,50,000 and needs Rs 8,000 in annual maintenance. Some pumps have already installed them. Noida, which has 113 fuel stations, is also in talks with fuel pump owners.Additional regional transport officer Ashok Shrivastava said installation would take around a week. “The cameras will save consumers’ time. They will not have to enter their vehicle details on their phones. The system will check the registration number and make an announcement about whether the vehicle has a valid PUCC. We are speaking to petrol pump owners and asking them to install the cameras,” Shrivastava said.Officials in Noida clarified that the cameras would not exempt vehicles without a valid PUCC from penalties. The transport department will continue to issue challans to vehicles found on the road without a valid certificate. Officials said the department’s job remained to enforce rules on the road, while the pump-based system would help check compliance at the time of refuelling.Driving without a valid PUCC can attract a fine of up to Rs 10,000 under Section 190(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. A first offence can also carry imprisonment of up to three months, while a second or subsequent offence can carry up to six months.A PUC certificate confirms that a vehicle’s tailpipe emissions are within the limits prescribed under motor vehicle rules. Under Rule 115(7) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, every motor vehicle must carry a valid certificate one year after its first registration. A PUCC is typically valid for six months, while certificates for BS-IV and newer-emission-standard vehicles are generally valid for 12 months.The drive aims to ensure that vehicles on NCR’s roads meet emission standards and do not add to air pollution. Similar initiatives were rolled out in Delhi and Gurgaon from Oct 1, the same day the rule took effect in Ghaziabad and Noida.Awadhesh Kumar Mishra, a Gaur City resident who got his bike refuelled on Saturday, said workers did not ask him for a PUCC. “I was at the petrol pump near Noida’s Sector 21 to get petrol. When I saw nobody asked me about my PUCC, I myself reminded them of it. I was told that the app was not working, so it was not needed,” Mishra said.Kishan Garg, owner of Shiva Petrol Pump in Ghaziabad, said the app had not been functioning. “We have a PUCC centre at the fuelling station, so we have been requesting people to show us their PUCC, and if they don’t have it, we ask them to get it made. We are only making them aware. Once the app works or ANPR cameras are installed, we can go forward,” Garg said.
