Karnataka’s ethanol-blended petrol test results warrant full investigation: Travel operators’ body

The association urged the authorities to publish the results of all 63 original samples and the corresponding retest results, along with sampling dates, batch details and testing methods. If excessive ethanol blending was established, the authorities should identify where it occurred in the supply chain and take action against those responsible.

The Karnataka State Travel Operators Association has called for a comprehensive investigation into the alleged discrepancies in ethanol-blended petrol test results in the State, urging the Union and State governments to conduct joint testing and make the findings public.

K. Radhakrishna Holla, president of the association, said the issue should be examined on the basis of scientific evidence and kept above party politics, given the concerns raised over fuel quality.

Recently, Rizwan Arshad, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Karnataka, claimed that petrol sold by several major oil companies in Karnataka contained ethanol far above the prescribed 20% level, in some cases as high as 31.2%, raising questions about transparency in the ethanol-blended petrol being sold to consumers across the country.

Mr. Holla said the discrepancy in the results needed to be investigated by establishing whether the samples were collected from the same outlets, on the same dates and from the same fuel batches.

He also called for a review of the sampling, sealing, transportation, storage and laboratory testing procedures. The association suggested that sealed duplicate samples, if available, should be retested at an independent laboratory. Fresh samples should also be jointly collected from the outlets covered in the original exercise and tested in accordance with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) standard IS 17021.

The association urged the authorities to publish the results of all 63 original samples and the corresponding retest results, along with sampling dates, batch details and testing methods. If excessive ethanol blending was established, the authorities should identify where it occurred in the supply chain and take action against those responsible.

Highlighting Karnataka’s ethanol production capacity, Mr. Holla said the State had 81 operating sugar mills and an annual sugarcane- and molasses-based ethanol production capacity of approximately 225 crore litres.

He also said vehicle owners needed clear information about the compatibility of their vehicles with E20 fuel. Automobile manufacturers should publish model-wise and year-wise compatibility details, while dealers and authorised service centres should explain the implications for mileage, maintenance and warranty coverage.

The association further urged oil companies to clearly display the ethanol-blend grade at fuel stations and disclose their petrol and ethanol procurement costs. Any savings resulting from ethanol blending should be passed on to consumers through lower retail fuel prices, it said. However, Mr. Holla noted that the association had not received any formal complaints of vehicle problems attributed to ethanol-blended petrol so far.