From December 18 onwards, a Delhi commuter may pull into a petrol pump as usual, only to be silently refused fuel: no argument, no explanation, no warning. A camera will scan the vehicle, detect a missing Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate, and the nozzle simply won’t turn on. In the midst of a pollution emergency, Delhi has opted for automation over judgment, restriction over reform. The intention is understandable.

Delhi’s air is dangerous, and vehicular emissions are part of the problem. But policies that look efficient on paper can still fail in practice, especially when they ignore how people actually move, work, and live in a city of over 30 million. PUC-based fuel denial assumes three things: that PUC certificates accurately reflect real -world emissions, that compliance is easy and accessible, and that people denied fuel have viable alternatives. None of these assumptions holds. PUC testing in India is widely recognised as inconsistent.

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Certificates are issued based on brief, stationary tests that fail to capture emissions from congestion, idling, poor fuel quality, or engine stress in real........

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