The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has proposed a major change to the Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) renewal process that could provide significant relief to owners of newer vehicles. Under a draft notification, the validity of the PUCC for BS-VI compliant private (non-transport) vehicles up to six years old may be extended from the current one year to three years. The proposal recognises that BS-VI vehicles are equipped with cleaner and more advanced emission control technologies, reducing the need for frequent emission testing.
If implemented, BS-VI private vehicles aged between six and 10 years will continue to require annual PUCC renewal, while vehicles older than 10 years will need emission checks every six months. The proposed norms also tighten compliance for older vehicles, with BS-IV vehicles requiring renewal every six months and BS-I, BS-II and BS-III vehicles every three months. For BS-VI transport vehicles, the proposal suggests a two-year validity for vehicles up to six years old.
The move is expected to reduce compliance costs and paperwork for owners of cleaner vehicles while allowing authorities to focus monitoring efforts on older, higher-polluting vehicles. The draft notification also clarifies that the revised validity period will apply when an existing PUCC is renewed after the new rules come into force. If renewed within 10 days before expiry, the new certificate will become effective from the expiry date of the previous certificate.
