Vehicles lacking a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) will not be allowed to refuel at petrol pumps across Uttar Pradesh’s National Capital Region (NCR) districts from October 1, as the state government steps up efforts to tackle worsening air pollution.
The decision was made during a high-level review meeting on air quality and pollution control chaired by Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary S P Goyal on Wednesday. The state has set an ambitious target of reducing air pollution levels in the NCR region by 30-35 per cent in 2026.
The NCR region in Uttar Pradesh comprises eight districts — Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat and Shamli. These districts form part of the larger Delhi-NCR region, which continues to face severe air pollution, particularly during the winter months.
Reviewing ongoing and proposed anti-pollution measures, Goyal directed all departments to work in coordination to improve air quality across the region.
“The participation of citizens should also be ensured by creating awareness among them,” the Chief Secretary said, according to a statement.
As part of the upcoming “No PUCC, No Fuel” policy, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras will be installed at 1,041 fuel stations across the NCR districts to identify vehicles that do not possess valid pollution certificates.
The state government is also pushing for the replacement of older polluting vehicles with cleaner alternatives under its “Naya Safar” initiative. The programme promotes BS-VI-compliant vehicles, compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and electric vehicles.
Officials informed the meeting that around 26.19 lakh end-of-life vehicles have been identified across the NCR districts. Between January and April 2026, authorities scrapped 37,156 such vehicles and seized another 460.
To encourage cleaner public transport, the government aims to deploy 975 electric buses in Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Meerut. Currently, 100 e-buses are operational in these cities.
The review also focused on strengthening air quality monitoring infrastructure. Of the 43 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) planned for the Uttar Pradesh NCR region, 25 are already operational. The remaining 18 stations are expected to be installed by October 2026.
Industrial emissions remain another major focus area. Officials reported that 725 polluting industries have been identified, with 613 already connected to the Central Pollution Control Board’s server through Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS).
Air pollution control equipment has been made mandatory for 665 industrial units. Installation has been completed in 179 units, while work is underway in another 100.
To address dust pollution, the state has drawn up plans to redevelop 1,792 kilometres of roads in Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Meerut at an estimated cost of Rs 3,666 crore. So far, redevelopment work covering 143.8 kilometres has been completed.
Authorities have also assessed the requirement for 108 mechanised road-sweeping machines. While 45 machines are currently in operation, procurement of 50 additional units is underway.
In the construction and demolition waste sector, 29 of the proposed 37 secondary collection centres are already functional, with work progressing on the remaining facilities. GPS tracking, geo-tagging and Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC)-based monitoring systems are also being introduced for construction sites to improve compliance.
Municipal solid waste management systems are being strengthened in Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Meerut. As part of waste-to-energy initiatives, Noida is developing a torrefied charcoal plant with a processing capacity of 600 tonnes per day and a biogas project capable of handling 300 tonnes per day.
The state’s broader pollution-control roadmap includes plantation drives, stubble management measures, compressed biogas plants, biomass utilisation projects, expansion of electric vehicle charging and battery-swapping infrastructure, metro and Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) expansion, improved last-mile connectivity and public awareness campaigns.
– Ends
With inputs from PTI
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