Lucknow: In a major move to tackle worsening air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR), the Uttar Pradesh government has announced that vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) will not be allowed to purchase fuel at petrol pumps from October 1.
The decision was taken during a high-level review meeting on air pollution control chaired by Chief Secretary S.P. Goyal. The rule will apply across the eight NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh—Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat and Shamli.
Under the new “No PUCC, No Fuel” policy, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras will be installed at 1,041 fuel stations across the NCR region to identify vehicles that do not possess valid pollution certificates.
The state government has set an ambitious target of reducing air pollution levels in the NCR region by 30-35 percent during 2026. Officials said coordinated action will be taken against vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, road dust, construction waste and stubble burning.
As part of efforts to phase out polluting vehicles, authorities have identified nearly 26.19 lakh end-of-life vehicles in NCR districts. Between January and April 2026, over 37,000 such vehicles were scrapped while 460 were seized.
The government is also accelerating the shift towards cleaner transportation through the promotion of BS-VI, CNG and electric vehicles under the “Naya Safar” initiative. A target has been set to operate 975 electric buses in Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Meerut, with 100 already running.
To strengthen air quality monitoring, 43 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) have been planned across the UP NCR region. Twenty-five stations are currently operational, while the remaining 18 are expected to be installed by October.
On the industrial front, 725 air-polluting industries have been identified. Of these, 613 have been linked to the Central Pollution Control Board’s online monitoring system, while pollution-control devices have been mandated for 665 units.
The government is also investing heavily in road dust management, with redevelopment of 1,792 kilometres of roads planned at an estimated cost of Rs 3,666 crore. Mechanised road sweeping capacity is also being expanded.
Officials said the broader pollution-control strategy includes waste management projects, plantation drives, stubble management measures, compressed biogas plants, EV charging infrastructure, metro and RRTS expansion, and public awareness campaigns.
