NEW DELHI: The Karnataka government on Friday alleged that petrol supplied by major oil marketing companies (OMCs) in the state contained ethanol well above the prescribed 20% limit, with laboratory tests recording levels of up to 31.2%. It sought action against companies found supplying fuel with excess ethanol.Food, civil supplies, consumer affairs and legal metrology minister Rizwan Arshad said petrol samples collected from Bengaluru, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Mangaluru and Tumakuru were tested at Bengaluru-based Shriram Research Institute, which is accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories and ISO-certified, news agency PTI reported.The test results showed ethanol content of 31.2% in Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) petrol and 30.5% in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) samples. Other samples recorded 27% in HPCL petrol, 26.5% in BPCL Speed, 26.1% in Nayara and 25.5% in Shell petrol. Some samples from BPCL, HPCL and IOCL also recorded levels above 20%, while others ranged from 13.5% to 20.6%.The state government alleged that reports from the in-house laboratories of IOCL and BPCL did not disclose ethanol content, despite it being a prescribed testing parameter.“This omission raises serious questions about the transparency of the oil marketing companies and what they seek to conceal from consumers,” the release said as quoted by PTI.The government claimed that excess blending could reduce vehicle mileage and damage components such as fuel pumps, injectors, filters, hoses and seals.It said 99% of India’s 35 crore vehicles were not designed to run on blends above E20, and sought action against OMCs, compensation for affected consumers, mandatory display of ethanol blend percentages at petrol pumps and a nationwide system offering different fuel blends.It also called for an E20 spoilage fund to compensate consumers for verified vehicle damage.
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