Karnataka Cars Fined for Pollution Despite Valid Certificates: A Growing Concern | Bengaluru News
BENGALURU: Cars registered in Karnataka are being slapped with penalty notices of up to Rs 10,000 for alleged air and noise pollution violations, despite possessing valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates issued by authorised emission testing centres in Bengaluru. Many of these challans are reportedly being generated by transport departments of other states, including Odisha, Goa, and others, when Karnataka-registered vehicles travel on national highways outside the state.The penalties are issued based on images captured by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed at highway toll plazas, without any physical or on-site emission or noise testing.Bengaluru resident Sameer Ranjan Bakshi recently received an e-challan from the Odisha Transport Department for allegedly driving without a valid PUC certificate. The challan stated that the violation occurred at Karapadu Toll Plaza. However, Bakshi said that PUC certificate, issued by a certified testing centre in Bengaluru, remains valid until June 2026, complete with the car’s photograph, hologram, and other authentication details.“After returning to Bengaluru, I received an SMS demanding Rs 10,000 for violating air and noise pollution norms. To my surprise, my PUC is valid until June 2026. A huge penalty was imposed despite holding a valid PUC certificate,” Bakshi said. He added that the emission testing centre confirmed the certificate’s validity and revealed that it received similar complaints from other car owners.Another Bengaluru-based car owner reported receiving a similar penalty notice from Goa on December 24, despite obtaining a valid PUC on December 16. “This is unacceptable. Car owners are being penalised due to a system flaw. The authorities must resolve this urgently,” he said.It is said that PUC certificates are not reflecting accurately in the central Parivahan database, leading to wrongful penalties and mounting public frustration.Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy told TOI that the issue came to his notice, and he directed officials to look into the issue.
