No PUCC, no fuel from Oct 1; UP aims 35% pollution cut in 2026 in NCR districts

Vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) will not be provided fuel at petrol pumps in the National Capital Region (NCR) districts in Uttar Pradesh from October 1, 2026. According to this rule, eight districts of Uttar Pradesh, namely Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat and Shamli, will implement the no PUCC, no fuel rule from October 1, 2026.

This comes as part of measures to curb air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region, as Uttar Pradesh targets to reduce the pollution in the NCR districts by 30-35% during 2026, PTI has reported. Air pollution in the Delhi-NCR remains a severe public health challenge, especially during the winter months. Vehicular emissions play a key role in this air pollution.

How ‘No PUCC, No Fuel’ rule work?

Under the no PUCC, no fuel rule, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras will be installed at 1,041 fuel stations across the NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh. While the vehicles will enter the fuel station, the installed ANPR cameras will detect the registration plate of the vehicles and check the database of it with the VAHAN server. If the vehicle is found to have no valid PUCC, it will not be given any fuel.

UP govt emphasising phasing out old, polluting vehicles

The Uttar Pradesh government is also reportedly working on phasing out old and polluting vehicles and promoting BS-VI, CNG and electric vehicles under its ‘Naya Safar’ scheme. The report has stated that around 26.19 lakh end-of-life vehicles (ELV) have been identified in the eight NCR districts of the state. Among these vehicles, 37,156 were already scrapped, and 460 vehicles were seized between January and April 2026.

Clean mobility in focus

Among other measures to curb air pollution, the UP government is emphasising promoting clean mobility. To promote clean public transport, a target has been set to operate 975 electric buses in Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Meerut. At present, 100 electric buses are operational in these cities.

The action plan also includes expanding the electric vehicle charging station network, battery swapping stations, etc.

Source