New Delhi, Jul 29: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has proposed extending the validity of the Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) for BS-VI-compliant private vehicles up to six years old from the current one year to three years. The move is aimed at reducing the compliance burden on owners of cleaner and more environmentally friendly vehicles.

The proposal is part of a draft notification that introduces a graded renewal schedule based on a vehicle's age and emission standard. Under the proposed rules, BS-VI private vehicles that are up to six years old will require a fresh PUCC only once every three years.

For BS-VI vehicles aged between six and ten years, emission testing will become more frequent, while vehicles older than ten years will continue to undergo stricter monitoring to ensure compliance with pollution norms.

The draft also retains the existing renewal schedule for older emission-standard vehicles. BS-IV vehicles will continue to renew their PUCC every six months, while BS-I, BS-II, and BS-III vehicles will require renewal every three months.

The proposal reflects the significant improvements in emission-control technology introduced under the BS-VI emission norms. India implemented BS-IV standards nationwide in 2017 before making a direct transition to BS-VI on April 1, 2020, skipping the BS-V stage altogether. The BS-VI regime introduced ultra-low sulphur fuel and advanced emission-control systems, substantially reducing vehicular emissions.

If approved, the revised rules are expected to benefit millions of owners of newer private vehicles by reducing the frequency of mandatory pollution checks while maintaining environmental safeguards.

The proposal is currently at the draft stage, and the Centre has invited public comments and suggestions before issuing the final notification.