India, Dec. 16 -- Vehicle owners without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) will be denied fuel at petrol pumps from Thursday, Delhi's environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced on Tuesday, as the national capital continued to grapple with hazardous air quality.

The decision comes against the backdrop of the Air Quality Index (AQI) remaining in the "severe" category for three consecutive days before easing to "very poor" on Tuesday.

Of the total improper challans issued by on the ground police personnels in the month of September, 54,615 were for driving without a PUCC, forming 17%, as per the enforcement data cited by PTI news agency. The number reamined shockingly high in October too, when a total of 68,986 P...