As per the recent notification released by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), it is now mandatory to have a valid PUC certificate for insurance renewals. The move will not only ensure that the vehicles have all the valid documents at all times but will help to keep a check on polluting vehicles and thus will help to bring down air pollution.
The move comes in after the Supreme Court directed all the insurance providers to not issue renewals for vehicles that do not have a valid PUC certificate. A PUC Certificate, also known as PUCC, verifies that a vehicle meets the required pollution control standards set up by the government authorities. Each class of vehicles has predetermined emission levels that have to met by the vehicle. While the owners of the electric vehicles may not worry about the PUCC, the owners of vehicles that are more than one year old have to get the PUCC by getting the vehicle tested at an authorised emissions testing centre.
Will I get an insurance claim if I don't have a valid PUC at the time of the accident?
While the initial reports online claimed that incase a vehicle which is involved in a crash does not have a valid PUCC, the owner will not get any insurance claims, it was later clarified by IRDAI that no insurance company can deny insurance claims based on the above conditions. Having a valid PUC certificate is only mandatory during insurance renewals and it should affect the claim procedure. So in short, as per the latest press release by IRDAI, an owner will get insurance claim in case his/her vehicle, which does not have a valid PUCC, is involved in a crash.
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Apart from this, in case someone is found to be using a vehicle that does not have a valid PUCC, the person is liable to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 and/or up-to 3 months of imprisonment for the first violation. In case of a second violation, the owner can face up to 6 months imprisonment and/or a fine of Rs 10,000.
With this being said, do you think making it mandatory to have a valid PUC certificate for insurance renewals a good move? Do let us know in the comments box below. Also, subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get all the latest updates and unbiased reviews.
