Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has announced plans to implement a policy that would prohibit the sale of fuel to vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate to curb rising air pollution, according to reports.

The proposed measure aims to crack down on technically defective and high-emission vehicles, which authorities have identified as major contributors to deteriorating air quality across the state. The announcement was made during a review meeting held at Mantralaya with senior officials from the motor transport department and touched upon another extremely vital point: there have been complaints about fake and fraudulently issued certificates, which allow polluting vehicles to remain on the road.