Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Nov 8: A war of words has erupted between the Karnataka government and oil marketing companies over alleged excess ethanol blending in petrol, with Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad dismissing the companies' clarification as a 'cut-copy-paste reply' and promising a detailed rebuttal on Monday, November 9.
Taking to social media, Arshad hit back at Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum after the three companies jointly rejected the state's allegations that petrol samples collected in Karnataka contained ethanol well above the prescribed limits.
Dismissing their response, the minister said he would place a detailed explanation before the people of the country on Monday.
"We have noted your cut-copy-paste response. I do not wish to spoil the Diwali weekend. I will give a detailed response before the entire country on Monday. Until then, enjoy the festival. Happy Diwali," he posted.
Reinforcing the state's position, Arshad added, "We are the government. We are an official source, not some unknown organisation."
He also tagged the official social media accounts of Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation in his post, directly taking the dispute to the three oil marketing companies.
The controversy was triggered by the Karnataka government's claim that tests conducted on petrol samples collected from various fuel stations across the state had detected ethanol content exceeding 20%.
According to the findings shared by Arshad on November 6, an Indian Oil sample had recorded an ethanol content of 31.2%, while a sample collected from a Hindustan Petroleum outlet showed 30.5%.
The three oil marketing companies subsequently issued a joint clarification, strongly disputing the state's findings. Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum said that their testing of 893 petrol samples across 27 states and Union Territories, including 56 samples from Karnataka, had found ethanol content within the prescribed range of 19% to 21% in every sample.
The companies also questioned the testing methodology adopted by the Karnataka government, maintaining that it did not conform to the prescribed standards.
At the same time, they expressed their readiness to undertake joint and transparent testing in coordination with the state government to establish the facts and resolve the issue.
With Arshad promising a detailed response on Monday, the dispute over ethanol blending in petrol is set for another round, with the state's test findings and the oil companies' nationwide sampling results at the centre of the controversy.