GRAP-IV push sees 2.12 lakh new PUC certificates issued in Delhi in four days

More than 2.12 lakh Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates were issued over the past four days following the strict implementation of GRAP-IV measures in Delhi, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Monday.

Addressing a press conference, Sirsa said enforcement has been stepped up across the capital under GRAP-IV, and warned of stringent action against polluting industries and private offices flouting work-from-home directives. He added that weather conditions are expected to improve by Tuesday as the impact of a western disturbance recedes.

Sirsa said 2,12,332 new PUC certificates were issued by late night on December 16. During the same period, around 10,000 vehicles failed the mandatory emission tests.

Announcing an intensified enforcement drive, the minister said polluting factories and industrial units will be sealed without further notice. “Action will also be taken against industries that have not applied for the mandatory Online Consent Management (OCM),” he said.

He also warned private companies to comply with the 50 per cent staff capacity and work-from-home norms, saying violations would attract strict penalties, while polluting industrial units would be shut down.

Sirsa said Deputy Commissioners and officials from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee are conducting drives to immediately close illegal industries. Other mitigation measures include city-wide road-washing operations and clearing garbage through biomining, he added.

The minister said the chief minister has directed authorities to ensure Delhi becomes dust-free through coordination among multiple local bodies and agencies.

He also said efforts are underway to revive the city’s water bodies in collaboration with the Delhi Development Authority and the Revenue Department, with the government aiming to restore at least 50 per cent of the water bodies that have disappeared over the years.