Delhi Imposes Rs 68.4 Lakh in First-Day Pollution Fines

Delhi authorities imposed Rs 68.4 lakh in penalties and environmental compensation on the first day of the Winter Action Plan’s enforcement, after checking 14,930 vehicles and turning back 1,539 at border points, according to official data available through 5 p.m. Sunday. The total comprised Rs 56.6 lakh in fines for vehicles without valid Pollution Under Control Certificates, or PUCCs; Rs 2 lakh for violations of vehicle-entry restrictions; and Rs 9.8 lakh in environmental compensation for construction-site dust-control violations. The reported figures record enforcement activity and do not establish whether the measures changed air quality. Authorities issued 566 challans for PUCC violations. The Delhi Traffic Police issued 493, imposing Rs 49.3 lakh in fines, while the Transport Department issued 73, amounting to Rs 7.3 lakh. Under the entry restrictions, officials issued 127 challans and impounded 62 vehicles, with fines totaling Rs 2 lakh. The checks targeted non-Delhi vehicles that do not meet pre-BS-VI emission standards. About 10.31% of the 14,930 vehicles checked were turned back. Authorities also reported that 740 exempt vehicles, including those running on...