Kerala begins petrol sample tests as Karnataka presses ethanol dispute

Civil Supplies officials in Kannur district began collecting petrol samples from fuel stations on Monday, 9 November, after the Keralam government ordered state-wide inspections to check ethanol levels. The first sample was taken from Jayashree Petrol Pump at Kannothumchal by a team led by District Supply Officer M. Sunil Kumar. Similar inspections are under way in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts, ordered by Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob. One litre of petrol was collected in each of six containers and will be sent to the District Forensic Laboratory.

The move follows test results released by Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad, who on Monday said the state stood by findings that ethanol content exceeded the prescribed 20 per cent limit, with some samples as high as 31.2 per cent. Arshad rejected oil marketing companies' denial, saying their claim that blending was automated and uniform contradicted their assertion that violations were confined to certain outlets. He called for nationwide testing by independent accredited laboratories. Under the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel Order, 2005, samples are drawn in six one-litre containers with joint signatures of all parties.

Update, 9 November 2026: Karnataka Minister Rizwan Arshad said on Monday (9 November) the state stood by its findings and accused oil marketing companies of contradicting themselves by saying blending was automated but violations were confined to some outlets. The South First reports Arshad dismissed claims that Karnataka lacked the technical capacity to test ethanol, citing the Motor Spirit Order, 2005. The Economic Times quotes Arshad calling for nationwide third-party testing.