New Delhi: The Supreme Court (SC) has asked insurance companies to make Pollution under Control (PUC) certificates mandatory for Vehicle owners in order to reduce growing pollution.
The Apex Court in its order dated August 10 has instructed insurance companies, not renew insurance of a vehicle unless the owner furnishes pollution under control (PUC) certificate.
A bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur has also asked the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to ensure adequate number PUC test centers in the National Capital Region (NCR and granted four weeks time to the Centre to ensure that there are functional PUC centers in NCR region.
The Supreme Court also ordered setting up a pan-India real-time online system to keep an eye on manipulation in granting PUC certificates.
The Union Ministry of Transport argued that the two requirements mentioned above (PUC Certificate and Insurance) cannot be merged as vehicle insurance is a yearly affair where as a pollution certificate has to be renewed at a shorter interval.
Countering the same argument, Aparajita Singh said that a vehicle owner should produce the last four, or at least two pollution certificates to renew the vehicle insurance.
The order came as the bench was hearing a PIL filed by environmentalist M C Mehta way back in 1985 dealing with various aspects of pollution.
Terming it as an important step forward, DG of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Sunita Narain said, with mandatory linking of annual vehicle insurance with valid PUC certificate, the compliance level can improve significantly-especially as the Supreme Court has directed its enforcement nation-wide.
Earlier in the day, National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned use if plastics less than 50 microns in the national capital. Anyone found in possession of such plastic items will be fined Rs 5000. The green court has given Delhi government a week’s time to seize the entire stock of plastic.
Inputs from Businesstoday
