Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Dec 25: Karnataka’s vehicle emission monitoring system has all but collapsed, with over 400 emission testing centres across the state closed after the transport department failed to supply hologram stickers for nearly a month.
Most of the closed centres are attached to petrol stations, crippling routine emission testing and leaving thousands of motorists stranded without valid certificates, exposing them to potential penalties.
Industry representatives describe the shutdown as a forced closure of Pollution Under Control (PUC) centres. “We had to keep shutters down for the past eight days,” said B R Ravindranath, former president of the Karnataka State Petroleum Dealers’ Association. “Of the 2,600 PUC centres in the state, a majority are now non-functional. Without hologram stickers, certificates cannot be issued,” he added.
The crisis has arisen due to delays in procuring and distributing security holograms, a mandatory requirement designed to prevent forgery. The delay has triggered a chain reaction: centres cannot operate, vehicle owners cannot comply with the law, and enforcement agencies are policing a rule the government itself has made impossible to follow.
The disruption comes at a time when the state is pushing for cleaner mobility and stricter emission norms, exposing administrative bottlenecks and poor coordination within the Transport Department.
An officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “We have written to the government, but they have not cleared it for about two months, citing one reason or another. Now it has been sent to the finance department and no one knows how long it will take. About a month ago, we distributed five lakh hologram stickers as an emergency measure, but we cannot continue that now.”
There have also been complaints that some unscrupulous individuals are using fake holograms to continue operating emission centres. With no clear timeline for resolution, pressure is mounting on the government to restore supplies immediately.