Important news for NCR residents: From October 1, diesel and petrol will not be available without a PUC..

Gearing up for a decisive strike against air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR), the Uttar Pradesh government has set a target to reduce pollution levels by 30 to 35 percent by 2026. Efforts against old and polluting vehicles will be intensified, and a 'No PUCC, No Fuel' policy will be implemented at all NCR petrol pumps starting October 1; this means petrol and diesel will not be available without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC).

During a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary SP Goyal on Wednesday, plans from various departments aimed at improving air quality and curbing pollution in the NCR region were reviewed. The Chief Secretary stated that special attention is being focused on major pollution sources such as vehicular emissions, factory discharges, road dust, increasing green cover, and stubble management.

**Automatic Number Plate Recognition Cameras at Petrol Pumps**
It was reported during the meeting that 2.619 million (26.19 lakh) 'End-of-Life' (EoL) vehicles have been identified across four NCR districts under the 'Naya Safar' scheme. Between January and April 2026, 37,156 old vehicles were scrapped, while 460 were impounded. To facilitate the 'No PUCC, No Fuel' system launch in October, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras will be installed at 1,041 petrol pumps across the NCR.

**Deployment of 975 Electric Buses**
To promote clean public transport, a target has been set to operate a total of 975 electric buses across Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, and Meerut. Currently, 100 e-buses are operational in these cities. Additionally, 43 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations are being established in the Uttar Pradesh-NCR region to strengthen air quality monitoring. Of these, 25 stations are already operational, while the remaining 18 are scheduled to be set up by October 2026.

**OCMS Being Installed**
Under industrial pollution control measures, 725 polluting industries have been identified. Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCMS) have been installed in 613 of these units, and they have been connected to the Central Pollution Control Board's server. Meanwhile, the need to install Air Pollution Control Devices (APCDs) has been identified for 665 industries, and the installation process is underway in a phased manner. To control road dust, work is in progress on a plan to redevelop 1,792 kilometers of roads across Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, and Meerut.

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