For numerous residents of Bengaluru, the return journey from New Year vacations in neighbouring states like Goa and Odisha was marred by an unpleasant surprise. Instead of memories of scenic beaches or hills, their key takeaway was a staggering Rs 10,000 penalty notice flashing on their mobile phones for alleged air pollution violations.
System Glitch Triggers Wrongful Penalties
Car owners driving Karnataka-registered vehicles discovered that conversations at highways, fuel stations, and apartment parking lots were dominated by the same shocking topic. They were being slapped with steep fines for not having a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate, despite possessing one that was fully valid. The penalties were issued by transport authorities in other states using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at toll plazas.
These cameras flagged vehicles based solely on their number plates, without any physical emission or noise testing. Motorists were caught completely off guard as the holiday season ended. The core issue, as claimed by affected drivers, is that PUC certificates issued in Karnataka are not accurately reflecting on the central Parivahan database, leading to the imposition of wrongful fines.
One affected individual, Sameer Ranjan B, received an e-challan from the Odisha transport department for allegedly driving without a valid PUC. However, his certificate, issued by a certified testing centre in Bengaluru, is valid until June 2026 and includes his car's photograph, hologram, and authentication details. Upon contacting the testing centre, he was told the owner had received similar complaints from other customers.
Another Bengaluru-based car owner reported receiving a similar penalty notice from Goa on December 24, despite having obtained a valid PUC certificate just eight days earlier, on December 16. "It is unacceptable that car owners are being penalised due to a system flaw. The authorities must resolve this urgently," he stated.
Integration Lag with Parivahan Portal
An operator of a Bengaluru emission testing centre confirmed that he receives daily calls from car owners who have been wrongly penalised outside Karnataka despite having valid certificates from his centre. After repeated complaints, he personally visited the transport department to investigate.
"Officials told me that, due to technical issues, PUC certificates issued in Karnataka are not being uploaded to the Parivahan portal," the operator explained. He added that officials cited ongoing software upgrades to resolve the problem, assuring that integration work is underway and the issues will be fixed soon.
Several states, including Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh, have already completed full integration of their PUC testing platforms with Parivahan, ensuring real-time updates of certificates. Karnataka is yet to complete this critical integration. This interoperability gap is causing repeated verification failures and resulting in heavy fines for vehicle owners, even those with valid documents.
Tourist Taxis Also Impacted
The problem extends beyond private car owners. Radhakrishna Holla, president of the Karnataka State Travel Owners' Association, highlighted that tourist taxi operators are also suffering. He cited a recent incident where two tourist taxis were fined in Goa despite carrying valid PUCs, with a penalty of Rs 10,500 each imposed on them.
Holla emphasised that seamless PUC integration with the Vahan portal is critical for routine RTO processes. "PUC data syncing on Parivahan is essential for obtaining interstate permits, fitness certificates (FC), and other RTO-related clearances. When PUC details fail to upload, it leads to wrongful penalties," he added.
In response to the growing outcry, Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has directed officials to investigate the issue thoroughly. The state government is now under pressure to expedite the integration process and prevent further harassment of motorists holding legitimate pollution certificates.
