Karnataka's '30% ethanol' claim stirs row as OMCs junk 'test'
IOC, BP & HP Question Cong Govt's Sampling & Testing Methodology
The Congress-led government in Karnataka asserted on Friday that petrol samples tested by authorized state labs contained ethanol levels exceeding the permissible 20% limit, with the highest recorded at 31.2%. However, major oil marketing companies - Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum - swiftly dismissed the claim, questioning the sampling and testing methodology employed by Karnataka.
The fuel retailers argued that the procedure did not adhere to the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel Control Order, 2005, and the Marketing Discipline Guidelines (MDG) 2024. They maintained that all 893 samples collected across 27 states and UTs during a quality monitoring exercise conducted by the petroleum ministry's Centre for High Technology contained ethanol levels within the prescribed 19-21% range. The samples from Karnataka also met the specifications, with an average ethanol content of 19.3%, they said.
The oil companies sought full sampling documentation, outlet-wise laboratory reports and details of the testing methodology from the Karnataka government, along with access to counterpart samples for independent testing under the oversight of state officials and company representatives. They expressed willingness to collaborate with the state government in a joint sampling and testing exercise following the prescribed procedures.
Karnataka claimed that the initial samples were sent to labs of Indian Oil and HPCL for testing, but these labs failed to disclose the ethanol content, raising concerns about the transparency of the oil marketing companies.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
