Supreme Court Petition Demands Transparency in Ethanol-Blended Petrol Distribution

New Delhi: Emphasising on greater transparency in the nationwide rollout of ethanol-blended petrol, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court, seeking a direction to state-run oil marketing companies to display the percentage of ethanol on every fuel-dispensing nozzle at pumps and disclose its percentage in fuel bills.

The public interest litigation also seeks a vehicle-wise compatibility database indicating which vehicle models are suitable for various ethanol blends. The state may encourage or incentivise ethanol blending, but it cannot compel citizens to expose their vehicles to possible risks without transparency, it argues.

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It seeks constitution of an expert committee comprising representatives from the petroleum ministry, road transport ministry, consumer bodies, as well as automobile engineers, fuel technologists, environmental experts, public health experts and water resource experts to examine real-world E20 compatibility, fuel efficiency, engine longevity, maintenance cost, warranty and insurance implications, environmental footprint, water-use concerns and food-security and feed-diversion issues.

The petitioner, advocate Narendra Kumar Goswami, said he does not seek to roll back India's ethanol-blending policy and accepts that energy security, reduction of crude oil imports, environmental objectives and support to farmers are legitimate policy goals.

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The PIL also seeks protection against denial of warranty, insurance or service benefits where a consumer has used the blended fuel because no reasonably available alternative was provided.

The government has been actively promoting ethanol blending in fossil fuels to reduce dependency on crude oil imports. India currently sells E20, or 20% ethanol-blended, petrol across the country. It also started offering E85 fuel last month.