Delhi's PUC Centres Strike Over Fee Hike Leaves Citizens in Limbo

Delhi's pollution under control (PUC) centres at petrol pumps went on strike protesting the government's proposed fee hike for pollution certificates. Out of 945 centres, around 600 were closed, causing inconvenience to citizens. Officials, however, said the strike had a minimal overall impact as other centres remained operational.

Several motorists in Delhi faced difficulties obtaining pollution certificates as around 600 PUC centres at petrol pumps were shut on Monday, part of a strike initiated by petrol dealers and pump owners. The strike was called to protest against the Delhi government's proposal to increase pollution-certificate charges by Rs 20 to Rs 40.

Despite the closures, officials from the transport department played down the strike's impact, noting that the remaining PUC centres continued to operate. 'There are approximately 945 PUC centres in Delhi,' an official said. 'The closures did not result in a 100 per cent shutdown.' The official pointed out that 3,000 to 3,500 pollution certificates are issued daily in Delhi.

The Delhi Petrol Dealers' Association (DPDA) argued that the increase was insufficient, citing rising operational costs. DPDA President Nischal Singhania said the current hike of 35 per cent is inadequate given the last revision was in 2011 when the rates were increased by over 70 per cent. Meanwhile, affected citizens like Sneha Kapoor expressed frustration as they struggled to find operational centres to renew their expired pollution certificates.