CAG flags massive PUCC lapses, weak vehicle compliance enforcement

• TNN

• Published On Mar 26, 2026 at 11:26 AM IST

Registration certificates of 5.4 lakh vehicles expired between April 2019 and March 2024.

“>

The report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has pointed towards a major compliance gap in the state’s transport administration, that Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) of 39.13 lakh vehicles had expired before Dec 31, 2023 and had not been renewed as of March 2024.Raising concerns over enforcement of emission norms and public health safeguards, the CAG report also shows that owners of 69,26,536 vehicles registered between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2019 did not renew the PUCC even once during the five-year period from April 2019 to March 2024. This indicates that a large number of vehicles may have continued to operate for years without periodic emission checks.The audit has also flagged authorities’ failure to ensure only validly registered vehicles remain on the roads.

Registration certificates of 5.4 lakh vehicles expired between April 2019 and March 2024, but owners neither renewed them nor reported the vehicles as destroyed or incapacitated, leading to non-realization of potential renewal fees of ₹88.6 crore.