The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) had announced a new mandate last week regarding the compulsion of the PUC (Pollution Under Control) certificate for the renewal of your car or bike’s insurance.
What is the PUC Certificate exactly?
The PUC certificate term is self-explanatory. But for those who don’t exactly know, it is one of the most important certificates to keep in terms of how much emissions your vehicle produces. This shows that the vehicle has been maintained regularly. The validity of the PUC Certificate lasts for a year and then you do the PUC test to renew it for the next year and so on.
Where and How is the PUC Test done?
The PUC test is done at an authorised PUC test centre, generally found in petrol pumps. A sensitive probe is put in the vehicle’s exhaust pipe and it is run for at least 3-5 minutes. There is a machine at the other end of the probe which displays the results and prints the certificate for the car. Now-a-days, the machine is replaced by a computer who does all the things mentioned above. The test is relatively inexpensive at around Rs. 35 for a 2-wheeler, Rs. 90 for a petrol car & Rs. 110 for a diesel car. You can get your PUC in the below format. Also, the current PUC data is stored in the Central Government database. You can check your vehicle’s status by clicking on the given link: https://vahan.parivahan.gov.in/puc/views/PucCertificate.xhtml
Why is this test important?
As we all know, the world is going through a very tough phase whereby the rapid growth in technology has seen a major growth in pollution. Vehicles emit noise and air pollution primarily through the exhaust and we see major health problems occurring for people which are deadly. So to prevent this from not happening, the main thing that needs to be done is the PUC test. This will ensure whether the vehicle’s emissions are below the standards set by the Central Government.
What impact will this announcement make?
Firstly, this announcement will guarantee that all vehicles that are sold or will be sold in the future would have to pass their PUC test in order to either get their insurances renewed or even made. If not done, the penalties for both will cause a big hole in the owner’s wallets.
