Delhi: Over ₹84cr fines for PUC violations in a month
What's the story
The Delhi Traffic Police has collected over ₹84.98 crore in fines for Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate violations between October 14 and November 18, news agency PTI reported. The amount is based on 84,981 challans, each carrying a penalty of ₹10,000. The Western Range issued the most challans at 22,867, followed by the Southern Range with 20,554 and the New Delhi Range with 13,423.
Pollution checks
Visible pollution and construction waste violations
In addition to PUC violations, the police also issued 2,030 challans for visibly polluting vehicles. Most of these were from the Southern Range (1,197) and Western Range (751). A single overage vehicle was impounded in the Southern Range during this period. The department also issued 446 challans for uncovered construction and demolition waste.
Traffic control
Non-destined trucks diverted to reduce pollution
To curb pollution, 4,708 non-destined trucks, those whose destination was not in Delhi, were diverted through the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways. The traffic police also decongested 703 crowded points during the same period, of which the Southern Range decongested 392 crowded points during this time. Under GRAP rules, 5,910 inter-state buses were checked at Delhi's borders, with 5,538 allowed entry into the city.
Pollution measures
GRAP stages and air quality measures
The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is implemented in four stages based on Delhi NCR's Air Quality Index. Stages One and Two involve measures like water sprinkling, mechanical sweeping, raising parking fees, strict checks on diesel generator sets, and public advisories asking people to use public transport. Stage Three stops construction work and restricts non-CNG inter-state buses, while Stage Four shuts schools below Class 10 and limits office attendance.