New Delhi. The political controversy regarding 20 percent ethanol mixture i.e. E20 in petrol has intensified. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday cornered the central government and oil companies on this issue. He alleged that consumers are suffering losses in the name of E20 and ethanol is being mixed in petrol in excess of the prescribed limit. Rahul sarcastically said that E20 has now become 420 and petrol is being stolen from public vehicles.
Karnataka investigation report cited
Rahul Gandhi, in his post on social media, cited the investigation of petrol conducted by the Karnataka government. According to him, out of 14 samples taken from seven districts of the state, the ethanol content was found to be more than 20 percent in 11. He claimed that 31.2 percent ethanol was found in a sample of Indian Oil and 30.5 percent ethanol in a sample of Hindustan Petroleum.
Taking names of companies like Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum, Bharat Petroleum, Nayara and Shell, Rahul raised the question as to how much ethanol is actually being mixed in petrol and why this information is not being given to the consumers.
Concern expressed over mileage and health of vehicles
The Congress leader alleged that the performance of vehicles may be affected if ethanol is supplied in excess of the prescribed quantity. Due to this, there is a fear of reduction in mileage and increase in expenses on maintenance of vehicles. He also questioned why there is no system to indicate the actual quantity of ethanol in the fuel at petrol pumps.
Rahul Gandhi has asked three major questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi – how much ethanol is actually present in the petrol sold in the country, what action will be taken on the allegations of more than 20 percent ethanol content and when will consumers get the correct information about the fuel. He also reiterated the challenge of open debate with the Prime Minister.
Oil companies raised questions on the results of the investigation
On the other hand, Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum have questioned the findings of the Karnataka government's investigation. The three companies say that the process of taking samples and testing them was not in accordance with the prescribed technical and legal standards. The companies claimed that the E20 petrol available in their network conforms to the Bureau of Indian Standards' IS 17021 standard, which stipulates the ethanol content at 19 to 21 percent.
The companies have demanded the Karnataka government to share the entire process of taking samples, laboratory reports and documents related to the investigation. It has also been proposed to jointly conduct re-testing in an authorized laboratory.
Controversy increased between allegations and claims of companies
At present, there is a contradiction between the findings of the Karnataka government and the claims of the oil companies regarding the quantity of ethanol. In such a situation, the situation regarding the quality of petrol will become more clear only after the processing of samples and the results of their independent investigation are revealed.