Oil Companies Refute Karnataka Government’s Claim of 31% Ethanol in Petrol

 

 

Public sector oil companies have categorically rejected the Karnataka government's assertion that the ethanol content in petrol exceeds the prescribed limit of 20 percent. Oil marketing companies—Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL)—have come forward to counter this allegation. Rizwan Arshad, Karnataka’s Minister for Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs, had claimed that an analysis of fuel samples conducted at a private laboratory revealed an ethanol content of 31.2 percent in Indian Oil fuel and 30.5 percent in HP fuel—figures well above the permitted 20 percent limit.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also commented on the matter via social media, describing the situation as equivalent to the theft of petrol from people's vehicles. However, the major public sector oil companies have dismissed the Karnataka government's claims as entirely baseless. The companies stated that ethanol is blended into petrol in the country strictly in accordance with established standards. Furthermore, they have questioned the credibility of the sample testing procedures mentioned. The companies repeatedly clarify that existing legal limits have not been violated.