Oil marketing companies reject Karnataka claims of high ethanol in petrol
Public sector companies say state findings were not based on testing conducted under prescribed statutory and technical procedures.
Public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) have rejected claims by the Karnataka government that petrol at certain retail outlets contained up to 31.2 per cent ethanol, according to reports by Times Now and The Federal.
The state government alleged that major companies were supplying fuel with ethanol levels exceeding the prescribed 20 per cent limit. Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology Minister Rizwan Arshad stated that tests on samples from Bengaluru, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Mangaluru and Tumakuru showed these high levels.
In a joint statement, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) said the findings were not supported by testing following prescribed statutory and technical procedures. The companies maintained that their E20 petrol complies with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specification IS 17021.
The OMCs raised concerns regarding the sampling methodology used in an October exercise, noting that samples were reportedly drawn without the participation of company representatives. They stated that the findings relied on certificates from a third-party laboratory rather than a laboratory specified under the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel (Regulation of Supply, Distribution and Prevention of Malpractices) Order, 2005.
The companies further claimed they had not received retention samples, laboratory reports, or complete outlet-wise details despite requests made through the State Level Coordinator. They noted that the lack of documentation and counterpart samples prevented them from seeking verification or retesting.