Odisha: After MLA Salary Row, Now Majhi Govt Takes Drastic Step on PUCC, Rs 10K Penalties

After an embarrassing stop-gap or halt on the issue of three-fold hike in MLA salaries, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has now taken a fresh plunge into another instance of inviting humiliation and criticism.

As per news doing the rounds in the state, triggering panic among people, every vehicle on the road, be it a four-wheeler or a two-wheeler, will not be allowed to refill petrol or diesel without a pollution under control certificate or PUCC.

In addition, anyone found without a PUCC would be slapped with a penalty of Rs.10,000. The penalty will have to be paid, only then a pollution certificate will be issued.

As a result, queues at the fuel filling stations are getting longer with vehicle owners waiting for the pollution certificates before refueling. 

“What does this mean? Sounds a bit Talibani in essence when the Majhi dispensation goes off on a tangent, disregarding all ethics of a democratic system. Who is advising him (Majhi) to take such erratic decisions without prior notice or homework? Balderdash is the word that suits Majhi’s whims”, said Ritik Pramanik, a political analyst.

Do the Chief Minister and his administrative apparatus have any inputs on how many vehicles are on the road today and how much time the testing procedure would require?

Jayanta Das, advocate and social activist, said: “Although the government, on second thoughts induced by public pressure through the media, has extended the timeline for vehicle pollution certificates. that is not sufficient in view of the magnitude of the task. We have petitioned for six months as the time limit in the court.”

This (getting pollution certificates) requires plenty of breathing room for all owners, he said, that there is already a chaotic state of affairs triggered by panic among people.

While exact real-time numbers of vehicles vary, Odisha had around 9.12 million (91.2 lakh) registered vehicles by FY 2020, with significant increases visible in recent years. The number of vehicles continues to rise, with data available from the Odisha Motor Vehicle Department  showing detailed breakdowns, suggesting the total number now easily exceeds 10 million, driven by personal transport and electric vehicles. 

It is easy to guess what the total number would be after almost five years. The long lines, the panic and the fear of getting penalised with a hefty sum of Rs. 10,000 is visible in almost all places across the state, despite the transport department issuing some clarifications.

Just a week ago, the Majhi-led government had tried to play ‘Santa’ for its legislators announcing a three-fold hike in their salaries without any assessment of its impact on the state exchequer.

Says Rabi Das, a political analyst, “These are all self-back-patting exercises that Majhi has been made to do by his advisers, with least regard for the realities on the ground.”

He added that “this abrupt step on the vehicle pollution issue, penalty and refuelling etc., are all linked… and smack of his (Majhi’s) political immaturity. Why such a huge penalty at the drop of a hat? he asks.

Pramanik further added that “this dispensation (Bharatiya Janata Party), either at the Centre or in the state, is clinically detached from something called sensibility toward people on the ground. Somehow, they derive a sense of achievement by imposing such draconian rules.”

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Odisha with over 40 years’ experience in the profession.