Odisha State Transport Authority Enforces Strict Pollution Norms To Curb Vehicular Pollution

Bhubaneswar : In a bid to reduce pollution in vehicles and ensure stricter compliance with emission norms, the State Transport Authority (STA) in Odisha has directed oil marketing companies to stop distribution of petrol and diesel to vehicles without valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC).

Many parts of Odisha will experience dense fog in the coming days, prompting authorities to issue a warning about road safety. Considering this, the State Transport Authority (STA) Odisha has appealed to road users to be extremely careful while driving to avoid accidents. Drivers are advised to reduce their speed, use fog lights, avoid overtaking and maintain a safe distance from other vehicles.

“Dense fog warnings have been issued by the Water Resources Department for various parts of the state. Keeping this in mind, road users have been asked to be careful to avoid accidents,” the State Transport Authority said in its post on X.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Delhi government stepped up its fight against air pollution by launching the ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ campaign and issuing more than 61,000 Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC) in 24 hours, according to an official press release.

According to the statement, the government is acting simultaneously on four fronts: vehicular pollution, dust from roads and construction activities, industrial pollution and waste management. To reduce pollution quickly, restrictions are being imposed on the entry of non-Delhi vehicles that do not meet BS-6 standards, along with strict implementation of the ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ campaign.

The Delhi traffic police has made extensive adjustments to the city limits to enforce GRAP-IV rules, collecting 2,686 fines so far. Additional CP Traffic Dinesh Kumar Gupta told ANI that ever since the implementation of GRAP Phase-IV rules in the capital, large-scale traffic adjustments have been made round the clock at major and minor borders to ensure compliance with the regulations.

Gupta said that they have collected around 2,686 fines for PUCC violations and 422 fines for BS6 vehicles so far. He also stated that efforts are ongoing to raise public awareness regarding GRAP Phase-IV rules in neighboring states through social media and government advertisements.