Bhubaneswar, 09 January (H.S.): Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Friday strongly criticised the BJP-led Odisha government over what he described as gross mismanagement in the enforcement of Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate norms, alleging that repeated policy reversals have caused widespread hardship and inconvenience to the public.

In a social media post, the BJD president said the government’s sudden announcement of the “No PUC, No Fuel” rule from January 1, 2026, without adequate preparation, led to chaos across the state, with long queues forming at PUC testing centres. He alleged that the Transport Department failed to expand testing infrastructure, undertake advance planning, or conduct adequate public awareness campaigns before rolling out the policy.

Patnaik pointed out that following public outrage, the government was forced into a series of U-turns—first deferring the enforcement deadline 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 plazas. These repeated reversals, he said, reflected a lack of foresight and administrative competence.

While underscoring the importance of controlling vehicular pollution, the former Chief Minister maintained that environmental regulation should not result in harassment of citizens. He said the people of Odisha deserved better governance and policies that are implemented in a planned and citizen-friendly manner.

The Leader of Opposition said the Biju Janata Dal stood firmly with the people and had consistently raised its voice against the alleged mismanagement. He demanded an immediate scaling up of PUC testing facilities, simplification of procedures, and assurance that no undue penalties would be imposed on citizens during the transition period.

Urging the state government to learn from its mistakes, Patnaik called on the BJP administration to prioritise public welfare over what he termed hasty and poorly executed decisions.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda