Bengaluru: Karnataka is preparing to release further evidence in the dispute over ethanol blending in petrol, with Chief Minister DK Shivakumar alleging that fuel sold at some retail outlets contains ethanol well above the prescribed 20 per cent limit.
Shivakumar said on Sunday that a state minister would hold a press conference on Monday and present documents relating to the allegations. He maintained that the issue was about consumer safety rather than political differences between the Congress-ruled state and the Union Government.
According to ANI, the Karnataka government has informed the Union Government about 67 locations from which petrol samples were collected. Shivakumar said the investigation was approximately 30 per cent complete.
"We have checked; the mixing is happening at the petrol bunks. Where it is being distributed, mixing is happening there; we have all the documents," he said.
The Chief Minister also referred to complaints from motorists about repeated engine stoppages and reduced fuel efficiency. He alleged that excessive ethanol blending was being carried out to increase profits because ethanol was available at a lower price.
"We have received complaints that thousands of vehicles are facing problems. Engines are stopping again and again, and mileage has reduced," he said.
Shivakumar said the issue concerned the entire country. "Because it is available at a lower price, they are mixing it to make a profit. We condemn this. It is dangerous. People need to be made aware and protected," he said.
The Chief Minister said the matter "has nothing to do with us."
The allegations have intensified a dispute between Karnataka and the Union Government over the quality of petrol supplied under the country's E20 programme.
The allegations have been challenged by the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the three public sector oil marketing companies: Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL).
In a press release issued on November 7, the ministry said all 893 E20 petrol samples tested across 27 states and Union Territories met the prescribed quality standards. The samples were collected through the oil companies' quality-monitoring exercise and tested under the Bureau of Indian Standards' IS 17021 specification.
The ministry said the 56 samples tested specifically in Karnataka also complied with the standard, recording ethanol content between 19 and 20 per cent.
The oil companies have questioned the methodology used in Karnataka's October 2026 testing exercise. According to the ministry's statement, the companies argued that the laboratory certificates cited by the state did not provide sufficient details about the prescribed testing method, dilution procedure and
The controversy gained momentum after Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad presented laboratory findings on November 6.
According to The New Indian Express, the state government said tests conducted by Shriram Research Institute in Bengaluru found ethanol concentrations of 31.2 per cent in an Indian Oil sample and 30.5 per cent in an HPCL sample.
Other samples reportedly recorded concentrations ranging from 20.8 per cent to 27 per cent, including petrol supplied by BPCL, Nayara and Shell. The samples were collected from seven districts, including Bengaluru, Kolar, Mangaluru and Tumakuru.
Reuters reported that Karnataka had sent 63 samples from seven districts to a certified laboratory for testing. The oil companies, meanwhile, said their own testing of 56 samples collected in the state showed ethanol concentrations between 19 and 20 per cent.
The two sets of findings have therefore produced conflicting assessments of the fuel quality.
The disagreement is not limited to the reported ethanol percentages. It also concerns how the samples were collected and tested.
In its November 7 statement, the Petroleum Ministry cited the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel (Regulation of Supply, Distribution and Prevention of Malpractices) Order, 2005, and the Marketing Discipline Guidelines, 2024.
The prescribed procedure requires six one-litre samples to be collected, with portions retained by the dealer and the oil company or department, while the remaining samples are sent to designated laboratories.
The oil companies have argued that the Karnataka government's October exercise did not follow the required procedure and that they were not given the necessary counterpart samples and documentation for independent verification.
The ministry also questioned whether the third-party laboratory certificates contained sufficient technical details to validate the reported ethanol levels under the applicable BIS testing standards.
The Karnataka government has promised to present further documents and findings on Monday, November 9. The state minister's response could provide more details about the testing process and the basis of its allegations.
For now, the claims of excessive ethanol blending remain disputed, with the state government and oil companies presenting conflicting test results.
(With inputs from agencies)