Vehicle owners alert! You won’t be able to renew motor insurance without this document

If you are a vehicle owner, then you must have got it insured. In that case, this is an important development for you. The insurance regulator IRDAI has advised general insurance companies to ask for valid PUC or pollution under control certificates from policyholders at the time of the renewal of motor insurance policies. This means that you won’t be able to renew motor insurance if you don’t have this one document.  

In a circular issued on August 20, 2020, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) said, Central pollution control board has raised issues regarding the status of compliance and asked companies to follow the instructions.  

"Central pollution control board (CPCB) has raised concern regarding the status of compliance of above direction of Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in National Capital Region of Delhi (Delhi – NCR). Please ensure that the direction of the Supreme Court of India is followed scrupulously with a special focus on compliance in the National Capital Region of Delhi (Delhi – NCR),” the insurance regulator said.  

It is worth mentioning that the Delhi NCR has been grappling with air pollution year-on-year and dangerous levels of toxic continues to affect millions of lives.  

What is PUC certificate? 

It is a certificate that vets that the emissions passed from vehicles meets the pollution control standards. The pollution standards/emission levels are fixed for all types of motor vehicles in India. 

The PUCC is issued by the government after testing the emission levels of your car or bike and certifying your vehicle that emission levels are within the required norms. The Ministry of Transport has mandated through the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1989 that a PUC Certificate must be carried by the driver or rider of the vehicle at all times.