No insurance, pollution certificate if five or more challans pending: Admn

In a major crackdown on traffic violators, the UT Administration has implemented a strict rule barring vehicle owners with five or more unpaid challans from obtaining insurance or a pollution under-control (PUC) certificate.

The move, in line with the Centre’s directives, aims to enforce compliance with traffic laws by restricting transactions related to vehicles with outstanding fines.

The Transport Department has placed such defaulters on the non-transaction (non-transit) list, preventing them from renewing registration certificates (RCs), obtaining duplicate RCs or transferring vehicle ownership. Only road tax payments will be allowed until the dues are cleared.

According to officials, approximately 1.43 lakh vehicle owners in Chandigarh fall under this category, with thousands of them having more than 20 challans against their names.

The Regional Licensing Authority (RLA) had earlier issued show-cause notices to such offenders, but many failed to respond. The administration is now considering further legal action, including the cancellation of driving licences and vehicle registrations.

The PUC certificate, which is mandatory for all vehicles every six months, will now be denied to these defaulters. Without it, they will not be able to legally operate their vehicles. Similarly, insurance renewals will also be restricted, creating additional roadblocks for habitual violators.

The administration has reiterated that defaulters can only regain access to these essential vehicle-related services by clearing their pending fines.