Question

With respect to controlling vehicular pollution, what is a PUC certificate ?
A) Pollution Under Control is a certification process that ensures that the vehicles that are being manufactured are adhering to emission norms.
B)Pollution Under Control is a certification process that ensures that levels of pollutants emitted from vehicle exhaust are not beyond the prescribed legal limits.
C)Pollution Under Control is a certification process that ensures vehicles using diesel have equipment installed to filter oxides of sulphur and nitrogen.
D)All of the above.

Answer 1

Hint: Air pollution is posing a major threat to the health of humans as well as the environment. One of the major sources of air pollution is vehicular emissions. To combat this, the government has taken various measures like implementing Bharat Stage norms and making Pollution Under Control (PUC)certificate compulsory.

Complete Answer: To tackle rising pollution, the Motor Vehicles Act of 1989 made Pollution Under Control certificate mandatory for all vehicles. It is compulsory for all in use vehicles to get an emission check to get a PUC certificate, which is issued based on conformity to idle emission test for gasoline vehicles and free acceleration smoke test for diesel vehicles. A new vehicle's PUC is valid for a year after which it has to get its emissions checked every six months and get it’s PUC certificate.
PUC tests which are done in authorized petrol pumps and independent testing centres are valid.

Let us look at the options given to us,
-Option (A ) says that Pollution Under Control is a certification process that ensures that the vehicles that are being manufactured are adhering to emission norms. Though PUC certificates are a way of checking emissions, it is the Bharat stage norms which decide the limits of emissions that vehicles can emit. If a particular vehicle emits more than the prescribed limits, the vehicle cannot be sold in the open market.
 The government keeps on updating the Bharat stage norms because of which the manufacturing companies upgrade their technology to meet the requirements. Therefore this statement is not correct
-Option (B ) says Pollution Under Control is a certification process that ensures that levels of pollutants emitted from vehicle exhaust are not beyond the prescribed legal limits. This statement is correct as PUC is a certification mark that indicates that the vehicle’s emissions are in alignment with standard pollution norms and are not harmful to the environment.
PUC certificate requires the vehicles to undergo periodic emission checks. If a vehicle doesn’t have a PUC certificate ,has an expired PUC certificate or has a PUC certificate but the vehicle’s emissions are beyond the prescribed limits, the vehicle’s owner attracts fine or prosecution under Motor Vehicles Act.
Therefore option (B ) is correct.

-Option (C ) says Pollution Under Control is a certification process that ensures vehicles using diesel have equipment installed to filter oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. This statement is incorrect too as it is the Bharat Stage VI norms which have proposed standards for cleaner fuel which would release lesser oxides of nitrogen and sulphur. It has also proposed Diesel Particulate Filters in cars to reduce emission.

Therefore the correct answer is option(B ).

Note: It is important to note that PUC certificate comes under Motor Vehicles Act whereas the Bharat Stage norms have been instituted by Central Pollution Control Board.
Also, now it is mandatory to have a PUC certificate to renew one’s car insurance.