Karnataka To Release Ethanol Blending Report Amid Fuel Quality Row

Karnataka will release more details on its inquiry into alleged excess ethanol blending in petrol on Monday, even as oil marketing companies reject the state’s claims and Kerala orders separate tests on fuel samples.

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on Sunday that samples had been collected from 67 locations across Karnataka. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad would present the inspection report and the government’s next course of action on Monday, he said. The three state-run OMCs have sought joint and transparent testing.

The issue has widened beyond Karnataka. Kerala’s Food and Civil Supplies Department has ordered laboratory testing of petrol samples, while the Centre has defended the ethanol-blending programme and the OMCs have questioned Karnataka’s testing process and findings.

Inspection Findings And Complaints

Karnataka says the problem is serious. Shivakumar said the government had taken serious note of complaints that petrol allegedly contained ethanol levels of up to 31.5 per cent, well above the mandated blend.

“Thousands of motorists have complained of reduced mileage, shorter travel distances and vehicles stalling while in motion,” Shivakumar told reporters.

The chief minister said inspection teams checked not just retail fuel outlets but also facilities linked to ethanol blending and distribution. Officials, he said, had collected records on where and how blending was carried out. A comprehensive report will be made public, and Arshad will place the findings and spell out the state’s next steps.

Centre And OMC Response

Karnataka has already written to the Centre. Shivakumar said the state had informed the Union government and directed the concerned department to investigate the issue.

He also said the Centre could not “shirk responsibility” on a matter involving fuel quality, vehicle performance and public safety. He criticised any move to raise blending levels only to “take advantage of lower ethanol costs”. Public inconvenience, he said, could not be justified on that basis.

The Centre defended the programme. Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi said the decision to allow 20 per cent ethanol blending, or E20, was backed by scientific studies and technical assessments. Any future increase would also depend on scientific feasibility, he said, and warned against politicising technical issues.

The OMCs disputed Karnataka’s findings. The three state-run companies rejected the claim that petrol sold at some retail outlets contained 26-31 per cent ethanol and said the results were not based on prescribed testing procedures and could not be independently verified. They have called for joint testing.

Kerala Testing Orders

Kerala has started its own checks. The state’s Food and Civil Supplies Department has ordered testing of petrol samples from four districts. That moves the issue beyond Karnataka and adds a parallel set of laboratory results as questions grow over fuel quality and blending levels.