Kerala orders petrol pump inspections over ethanol blending concerns
Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob ordered fuel checks in four districts following reports of excess ethanol in Karnataka petrol.
Kerala Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob has ordered inspections of petrol outlets in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Kannur. According to Deccan Chronicle, the directive follows reports from Karnataka that fuel was being sold with ethanol levels exceeding the permitted limit.
The minister instructed the Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs to carry out the checks after talking with Chief Minister V D Satheesan. Officials stated that no instances of excess ethanol blending have been found in Kerala so far, but the inspections are a preventive measure due to the reported issues in neighbouring Karnataka.
The move follows claims by the Karnataka government that oil marketing companies supplied petrol with ethanol levels as high as 31.2 per cent, well above the 20 per cent limit. Karnataka Minister Rizwan Arshad said these findings were based on samples from several locations, including Bengaluru and Mangaluru.
Public sector companies, including Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), rejected the claims on Friday. In a joint statement, the companies said their E20 petrol meets Bureau of Indian Standards specifications and argued that the reported claims were not based on standard statutory testing procedures.
Minister Jacob noted that a 2014 state notification allows officials, from the Commissioner to Taluk Supply Officers, to inspect outlets and take legal action. He said strict measures would be taken if any violations are discovered during the testing of the collected samples.