Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has ordered inspections at petrol outlets across four districts following reports that fuel is being sold with ethanol blended in excess of the prescribed limit, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob said on Saturday.

Source: IANS via NewKerala

Jacob directed the Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs to collect petrol samples from various locations in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Kannur districts and send them for testing. The directive was issued after discussions with Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan.

Source: IANS via NewKerala

The minister said no instance of excess ethanol blending had so far come to the notice of authorities in Kerala, and that the inspections were a precaution to ensure similar malpractices do not take place in the state. No case of excess blending has been confirmed in Kerala so far.

Source: UrbanAcres

The inspections will be carried out under the Central Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel (Regulation of Supply and Distribution and Prevention of Malpractices) Order, 2005. A state notification issued in 2014 under that order authorises officials of the Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department — from the Commissioner down to Taluk Supply Officers — to inspect fuel outlets and initiate legal action. Jacob said stringent action would be taken if excess blending or any other adulteration was detected.

Source: IANS via NewKerala

Why Kerala is checking

The move follows allegations in neighbouring Karnataka, where Food, Civil Supplies and Legal Metrology Minister Rizwan Arshad said tests of samples collected from Bengaluru, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Mangaluru and Tumakuru reportedly found ethanol levels as high as 31.2% in some samples, against the 20% limit for E20 petrol. Karnataka has sought action against the oil marketing companies.

Source: UrbanAcres

Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum rejected the Karnataka claim in a joint statement on Friday, saying it was not supported by testing done under the prescribed statutory and technical procedures, and maintaining that the E20 petrol they supply across the country complies with IS 17021, the Bureau of Indian Standards specification for ethanol-blended motor gasoline.

Source: UrbanAcres

Kerala's samples will now be sent for testing, and any violation detected may lead to legal action under the state's enforcement powers, officials said.

Source: UrbanAcres