Working on the principle of ‘no tax payment no certificate,’ the state transport department has decided to go strict with defaulters.

The department has announced no pollution certificates unless a vehicle is free of due payments including taxes, penalties or fines against it. The department has issued a notification directing the auto emission testing centres (AETC) to issue pollution under control certificate (PUCC) only after ensuring that all pending dues of taxes, penalty, fines or even challans against the vehicles have been cleared.

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As per the order, the AETC might conduct the requisite test but cannot issue PUCC unless dues are cleared. The department would penalize the AETC if it is found violating the norms, according to the latest instructions.
The notification comes to curb malpractices of obtaining a PUCC without paying the pending taxes or due against vehicles.

The notification also underlines the fact that plying of vehicles without pay- ing the due taxes is an offense.
The vehicle is liable to be kept stationary until the outstanding amount is paid. Considering the fact, even for bringing the vehicle to the auto emission testing centre for obtaining a pollution certificate, it has to be plied through a motorable road. According to the notification, using such roads without payment of due taxes is anoffenceaspertheTaxAct.

Earlier last week, the transport department launched a PUCC Version 2.0 making the physical presence of vehicles mandatory at automat- ed emission testing centres (AETC). It also made the linking of Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) of the vehicles with the centralized VAHAN database compulsory.