SC to hear plea for mandatory ethanol labelling at petrol pumps on Aug 31
Supreme Court will hear a plea on Aug 31 seeking mandatory ethanol-content labelling at petrol pumps and a public vehicle compatibility database.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on August 31 a petition seeking a directive to the Centre and other authorities to make ethanol-content labelling mandatory and uniform across all petrol dispensing nozzles in the country.
The matter is listed before a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale, according to the apex court's causelist for the day.
The petition, filed by Narendra Kumar Goswami, also seeks a direction requiring fuel stations to clearly mention the ethanol content of the petrol sold on every fuel invoice. It further asks authorities to create a publicly accessible database detailing vehicle compatibility with different ethanol blends.
The plea has also called for an independent expert committee to assess the real-world compatibility of E20 petrol across India's existing vehicle fleet. The proposed panel would include representatives from the ministries of petroleum and natural gas, road transport and highways, the Bureau of Indian Standards, as well as independent automobile engineers and other experts.
The committee has been asked to examine how E20 affects vehicle fuel efficiency, engine durability, maintenance expenses, and potential implications for vehicle warranties and insurance. It would also assess E20's overall environmental impact, including tail-pipe emissions and water usage in ethanol production.
The petition has raised concerns over food security and the diversion of agricultural produce towards animal feed and ethanol production in connection with the country's ethanol-blending programme.
It also seeks a national consumer disclosure protocol for all ethanol-blended petrol, in consultation with the Central Consumer Protection Authority and the Bureau of Indian Standards. The plea further asks authorities to place before the court all policy files, technical studies, compatibility reports, safety standards, consumer advisories and records of public consultation supporting the compulsory roll-out of E20.
Additionally, the petition calls for a time-bound, transparent transition framework for legacy and non-compatible vehicles, including consideration of designated availability of lower ethanol petrol wherever technically, economically and logistically feasible.