Buldhana Bus Accident: PUC Certificate Issued 9 hrs After Mishap

Mumbai: The Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate for the bus involved in the Buldhana accident was illegally issued nine hours after the mishap. On July 1, the vehicle met with an accident while plying on Samruddhi Mahamarg at 1.30am, but the PUC certificate was issued at 10.37am by a Yavatmal-based PUC centre. A senior RTO official expressed the belief that the bus owner may have attempted to acquire the certificate to avoid rejection of an insurance claim. 

RTO officials have initiated action by issuing a show cause notice to the PUC center as well as the bus owner, seeking clarification. According to reliable sources, the PUC certificate for the bus with registration number MH29 BE1819 was issued on July 1 at 10.37am. However, the vehicle had already been gutted at around 1.30am. The soft copy of the document can also be found on the Vahan database of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, further raising concerns about its authenticity.

Depart will register police case against PUC center if found guilty

Taking a serious note of this incident, Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar stated on Tuesday that if found guilty, the department would register a police case against the PUC center that issued the certificate.

As per the Regional Transport Office sources, the previous PUC certificate for the bus had expired on March 10, 2023. The Yavatmal-based PUC centre, with the code number MH0290041, issued a new certificate valid until June 30, 2024.

Under the Motor Vehicles Act, it is mandatory for every vehicle owner to possess a valid PUC certificate to comply with the prescribed emission norms. Several years ago, the government computerised the process of issuing PUC certificates. It made capturing a live photograph of the vehicle's number plate mandatory for PUC centers.