After Karnataka, Kerala Collects Random Fuel Samples To Test Ethanol Blend

The Kerala government today ordered surprise inspections at fuel retail outlets and began laboratory testing of random petrol samples across the state to verify whether ethanol blending has exceeded the legally prescribed 20 per cent limit.

The enforcement drive by the Kerala Civil Supplies Department follows allegations by ministers in neighbouring Congress-ruled Karnataka that excessive ethanol levels in fuel are damaging vehicle engines and reducing mileage.

In Kochi, enforcement teams fanned out across fuel stations to draw samples of E20 petrol - fuel blended with 20 per cent ethanol - for chemical analysis.

At an Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) retail outlet in Ernakulam district's Chembumukku, officials drew multiple fuel batches in the presence of oil company representatives to establish a chain of sample custody.

"Today, we conducted an inspection at an IOCL petrol pump in Chembumukku, Ernakulam district. We collected six one-litre samples of ordinary petrol to examine the ethanol content. Two samples have been sent to a lab and we are awaiting the test results," said Shaji PR, the District Civil Supplies Officer overseeing the Ernakulam inspection.

Kerala Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob said the civil supplies commission has been told to collect fuel samples from both northern and southern districts in strict compliance with statutory testing protocols.

"We are collecting random samples from across the state to see if ethanol is within the prescribed limits or not," Jacob said in Thiruvananthapuram. He said they have also requested that oil company representatives be present where they are collecting the samples.

"After that, we will be sending the samples to the government-owned chemical labs, and after the results come, we will take further steps if it is necessary," the minister said.

Backing the objections raised earlier by Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Jacob said motorists across the country were reporting mechanical failures and a sharp drop in fuel efficiency. He alleged consumers had a fundamental right to know the exact composition of the fuel they were buying.

"It's a major concern not only in Kerala or Karnataka but across the country. Whether the ethanol is of a cheaper quality or whether the ethanol is above the prescribed limits, all this should be conveyed to the customers," he said, adding they have the right to know and that it was not a matter of politics.

The scrutiny began on November 6 when Karnataka minister Rizwan Arshad announced the findings of a state-level audit across all districts in the southern state. According to the Karnataka authority, laboratory tests on 63 petrol samples collected from major oil companies found ethanol concentrations ranging between 26 per cent and 31 per cent at specific retail outlets - well above the 20 per cent threshold that older vehicle components were engineered to withstand.

The Union oil ministry has rejected the state government's findings, saying all 893 samples of E20 petrol tested from public sector outlets across 27 states and Union Territories met prescribed quality standards.

In a joint defence, the three state-run oil marketing companies - Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum - had said ethanol blending is executed through an automated, statutorily regulated system that leaves no room for manual intervention at the depot or retail level.