SC to hear plea over sale of 20 pc ethanol blended petrol

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea which has challenged the nationwide rollout of 20 percent Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP-20), alleging that millions of motorists have been forced to use fuel not designed for their vehicles.

The public interest litigation (PIL) is listed for hearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai on September 1.

The plea, filed by advocate Akshay Malhotra, has sought a direction to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to ensure availability of ethanol-free petrol at all fuel stations.

It has also sought a direction to the authorities to mandatorily label ethanol content on all petrol pumps and dispensing units, making it clearly visible to consumers, and also to ensure that consumers were informed about ethanol compatibility of their vehicles at the time of fuel dispensing.

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The plea said the authorities be directed to conduct a “nationwide impact study on mechanical degradation and efficiency loss due to ethanol blended fuel to the extent of 20 percent usage in non-compliant vehicles“.

It said millions of motorists were being left helpless at the pumps and were forced to buy fuel that many of their vehicles cannot handle.

Cars and two-wheelers manufactured before 2023, and even some newer BS-VI models, are not compatible with such high ethanol blends, it said.

The plea highlighted damage to engines, dropping of mileage among other consequences of the move.

“Direct the respondents to ensure that consumers are informed about ethanol compatibility of their vehicles at the time of fuel dispensing,” the plea said.

It claimed engines are suffering corrosion, fuel efficiency is dropping, and repair bills are mounting, while insurance companies are rejecting claims for damage caused by ethanol fuel.

The PIL outlined how global practices differed sharply and said in the US and EU, ethanol-free petrol was still widely available, and pumps clearly displayed ethanol content for consumers to make an informed choice.

In India, however, only ethanol-blended fuel is sold, with no disclosure of composition at dispensing units, it added.

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