00:00Let me bring in Minister Rizwana Arshadar on this broadcast.
00:05Okay, but before that, here's a detailed report.
00:11Rising fuel costs are already burning a hole in motorist's pockets.
00:16Now, a fresh controversy over ethanol blending has raised further concerns.
00:22The Karnataka government has levelled serious allegations,
00:26claiming that recent tests found higher than permitted ethanol content in petrol.
00:31Immediately the government ensured that they go ahead and remove the ethanol mixing in the petrol.
00:39And they claim that there is a huge loss for the people who are using the petrol across the country.
00:46And they say that they will continue the protest until unless the government consider their demand
00:53and ensure that ethanol is not being mixed with the petrol.
00:59The Karnataka government claims that E20 blending levels improved after its exposure
01:05and assured that it would conduct periodic tests.
01:08We demand from the central government that there should be an independent testing mechanism established.
01:14Now they have been exposed.
01:16And now they, for some time, they'll saturate the E20 blend to what they have declared.
01:22But we need to keep checking randomly.
01:26According to the state's findings, samples collected from 67 locations
01:31showed ethanol content exceeding the prescribed 20% limit in several instances,
01:37allegedly going up to even 30%.
01:3965% of the recent months, we will need to remove the central government.
01:45And we will have to keep checking the samples from the central government.
01:51We will do not include the samples.
01:52Now we will take a few more miles.
01:57And we will keep checking the samples and by the time and by the time.
02:03We will be able to keep checking the capacitors down.
02:08And now we will make a conversion.
02:09sector oil marketing companies has rejected all claims made by Karnataka government.
02:15The BJP has hit back at the Karnataka government, questioning its findings and claiming that
02:20the state does not have a laboratory to test fuel quality.
02:24He's not doing his proper, his work, showing central government.
02:30I ask the state government, you have any for petrol and diesel, for investigation,
02:38for anything you have, any lab, there is no lab for you, no lab meant for petrol and diesel.
02:51Following Karnataka, the Keralim government has also ordered fuel quality checks in four districts.
02:57We are the Indian Oil Corporation petrol pump here in Firvanagpuram, where now officials
03:01are collecting samples of petrol for ethanol tests.
03:04Now, as you can see in the visuals, officials have collected these samples, they have separated
03:10it into six boxes, now six samples have been collected, two, we are learning, will be sent
03:16to the lab for testing, two will be sent to the office and two will be sent to the dealers
03:22for testing.
03:23This is what the officials are telling us.
03:25We are getting a lot of complaints about the vehicles getting damaged, the engines getting
03:29damaged and the mileage coming down.
03:30Many complaints and reports through the media are already there.
03:35Also, the recent inspections in Karnataka was also a major concern to us.
03:39So, we are ruling out all such concerns.
03:43We are trying for this inspection, we are trying to rule out that there are no discrepancies in
03:48the petrols that are sold in the state of Kerala.
03:51The controversy has now raised a larger question.
03:55Is the petrol you are buying actually E20 or a higher blend?
04:00Bureau Report, India Today.
