Keralam Orders Petrol Checks After Karnataka Ethanol Report

Keralam has ordered petrol inspections and sampling in four districts after Karnataka reported finding ethanol levels as high as 31.2% in petrol samples, a result disputed by public sector oil companies. Keralam officials said excess blending had not previously come to the attention of state authorities, and the state’s own test results are pending.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob directed the Civil Supplies Commissioner to conduct checks after consulting Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan. The inspections are to cover Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Kannur, with samples sent for testing. The minister said strict action would follow if fuel is found to exceed the permitted ethanol level of 20%.

The inspections are being conducted by the Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Commission. A detailed plan calls for surprise checks, with selected fuel stations not disclosed in advance and six samples collected from each station. Samples are to be sent to the State Forensic Laboratory and oil-company laboratories. Some samples taken in Kannur on Saturday, November 7, had already been sent for testing, according to a report published November 9.