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The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has recently proposed extending the validity of the Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) for BS-VI-compliant private (non-transport) vehicles that are up to six years old from one year to three years. The proposal, issued through a draft notification, aims to reduce the frequency of PUCC renewals for newer, cleaner vehicles. What changes Under the draft rules, BS-VI non-transport vehicles will have different PUCC validity periods based on their age from the date of first registration:

• • Up to six years: PUCC valid for three years.

 

• • More than six years and up to 10 years: PUCC valid for one year.

 

• • More than 10 years: PUCC valid for six months.

For BS-VI transport vehicles, the proposed validity will be two years for vehicles up to six years old, one year for vehicles between six and 10 years old, and six months for vehicles older than 10 years. Older vehicles The proposal retains shorter PUCC validity periods for older vehicles that follow earlier emission standards.

• • BS-IV vehicles will require a PUCC renewal every six months.

 

• • BS-I, BS-II and BS-III vehicles will require renewal every three months.

Renewal rules The draft notification also explains how the revised validity periods will be implemented. The new validity will apply to PUCCs issued before the amended rules come into force only when they are renewed for the first time after the new rules take effect. If a PUCC is renewed within 10 days before its expiry, the renewed certificate will become effective from the existing certificate's expiry date. If it is renewed after the certificate has expired, the renewed PUCC will take effect from the date of renewal. Emission norms explained Bharat Stage (BS) emission norms set the maximum permissible limits for pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons (HC) and particulate matter (PM). The standards are aligned with European emission norms and are introduced in phases to reduce vehicle emissions. BS-IV norms were in force from 2017 until the introduction of BS-VI in April 2020. India skipped BS-V and moved directly to BS-VI to accelerate emission control. BS-VI vehicles produce significantly lower emissions and are designed to run on low-sulphur BS-VI fuel.