Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has questioned the Centre’s accountability over alleged problems linked to ethanol blending in petrol, after state-collected samples from seven districts reportedly showed ethanol content of up to 31%, above the prescribed 20% level.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru on Wednesday, Shivakumar claimed that vehicles across the country were experiencing lower mileage, engine damage and breakdowns because of higher-than-prescribed ethanol blending. He said the issue affected ordinary vehicle owners and required an investigation into the source and quality of fuel supplied to petrol stations.
“Let the BJP protest against price rise; it’s politics. But when petrol and diesel prices increased, ethanol was mixed in vehicles, with the blending going beyond 20 per cent to 30 per cent. Mileage has come down. Vehicles are getting damaged, Engines are suffering damage, and vehicles are stopping midway,” Shivakumar said, according to the report.
The Chief Minister clarified that his remarks were not directed at petrol pump operators. Instead, he asked the Centre to establish where the fuel was procured, where blending took place and where the fuel supplied to consumers originated. The comments place fuel-quality monitoring and accountability at the centre of the dispute.
The Karnataka government has said it collected petrol samples from 67 locations and brought the matter to the attention of the Centre and other concerned authorities. Shivakumar said the samples had been tested and that the state was examining the issue. The report said samples collected across seven districts showed ethanol content of up to 31 per cent, compared with the prescribed 20 per cent level.
The allegations have emerged amid a political dispute over fuel prices in Bengaluru. Shivakumar said opposition parties protesting price rises should also address the alleged effects of ethanol blending on vehicles. He said representatives of the central government had denied allegations of higher blending and should respond first to the findings from the samples collected by Karnataka.
Ethanol blending is a fuel-policy issue with a direct operational dimension for motorists because the quality and composition of petrol can affect vehicle performance, mileage and maintenance costs. However, the supplied report does not establish whether the alleged vehicle damage was caused by ethanol levels, fuel adulteration, vehicle compatibility or another factor. It also does not include a response from the Centre on the state’s sample findings.
The dispute therefore now turns on the testing process, the chain of custody of the samples, the locations from which they were collected and the authorities responsible for verifying the results. It also raises questions about how deviations from prescribed fuel specifications, if confirmed, would be investigated and addressed.
Shivakumar said the state had already notified the central government and relevant authorities about the matter. The next step is the examination of the 67 samples and a response to the reported findings from the Centre and other concerned agencies.
