Naveen Slams BJP Govt Over ‘Gross Mismanagement’ in PUC Enforcement

Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President and Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, Naveen Patnaik has strongly criticized the BJP government’s handling of the Pollution Under Control (PUC) Certificate enforcement, calling it a case of “gross mismanagement and repeated policy flip-flops” that has caused immense hardship to the common people.

LoP Naveen said the sudden announcement of the “No PUC, No Fuel” rule from January 1, 2026, without adequate preparation, pushed the state into chaos. Massive queues at PUC testing centres exposed the government’s failure to expand infrastructure, plan in advance, or conduct large-scale awareness campaigns.

“What started as a sudden announcement of the “No PUC, No Fuel” rule from January 1, 2026,quickly descended into chaos with massive queues at testing centres across the state. The BJP Govt failed to prepare adequately, with no expansion of testing infrastructure, no advance planning, and no awareness campaigns on the required scale”, he said.

Naveen further pointed out that mounting public anger forced the government into a series of reversals.

“Faced with public outrage, the government was forced into multiple U-turns: first deferring enforcement to February 1, then to March 31,and most recently announcing a blanket relaxation with no fines until April 1,2026, including suspension of e-detection at toll gates. These repeated reversals expose the utter incompetence and lack of foresight in the Transport Department”, he said.

The people of Odisha deserve better governance, policies that are implemented without causing unnecessary suffering. While controlling vehicular pollution is important, it cannot come at the cost of harassing citizens”, Naveen added.

He reiterated that the BJD stands firmly with the people and has been vocal in protesting against the government’s mismanagement.

He demanded an immediate scale-up of PUC testing facilities, simplification of procedures, and assurance that no undue penalties will be imposed during the transition period.

The BJD President urged the BJP government to learn from these mistakes and prioritise the welfare of Odisha’s citizens over hasty decisions.