Amid a rise in air pollution levels in the national capital, the traffic police have imposed penalties to the tune of Rs 47 crore on motorists between October 1 and 24 for pollution certificate violations, an official said on Wednesday. The traffic police have issued over 47,000 challans to motorists. A fine of Rs 10,000 is imposed on motorists for not having a valid pollution under control (PUC) certificate. These challans get released from courts. According to the data provided by the Delhi Traffic Police, a special drive was launched this month in which 47,363 challans for PUC violations were issued to motorists between October 1 and 24. An official said the number of vehicles has increased significantly in the city, causing pollution. "Special drive was conducted at different locations, including ITO Chowk, Peeragarhi, Ashram Chowk, Anand Vihar and Mehrauli this month by traffic personnel and around 47,343 motorists were caught without pollution or expired PUC certificates till October 24," the official said. He said the drive is underway and the officials have been asked to keep conducting surprise checks of vehicles.The data has also revealed that this year till October 24, a total of 2,50,761 challans have been issued for PUC violation. Last year, the tally was 2,32,885 and in 2022 it was 1,64,638 during the same period. The officer said the number of challans mentioned in the data involves all types of vehicles, including heavy transport vehicles. The spike in the number of violations highlights the persistent challenge of vehicular pollution in the city which is notorious for its alarming levels of air pollution, the officer said. The national capitals air quality on Wednesday morning was recorded in the poor category with an AQI (Air Quality Index) of 278, up from 268 recorded a day earlier, according to Central Pollution Control Board data.The Delhi Traffic Police said that by rigorously monitoring and enforcing PUC regulations, they aim to cultivate a culture of compliance with emissions standards among motorists. "It is crucial to recognise that vehicular emissions significantly contribute to air pollution in urban areas like Delhi. Therefore, cracking down on vehicles without valid PUCCs is imperative to mitigate the adverse environmental effects associated with unchecked emissions," the officer said.

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