KOCHI: After Karnataka raised concerns over excess ethanol blending in petrol, Food and Civil Supplies minister Anoop Jacob on Monday said Keralam had begun collecting petrol samples from across the state to check whether the ethanol content was within the prescribed limits, according to news agency ANI.Jacob said the samples had been sent to laboratories for testing and the results were awaited. He described the issue raised by Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar as a “major concern” across the country.Speaking to the media, the minister said, “We are collecting random samples from across the state to see if ethanol is within the prescribed limits or not. The civil supplies commission has been authorised to do that. And now, from the northern districts and from the southern districts also, we are taking random samples.“The samples are being collected in all the prescribed formats. We are following and complying with all the protocols. And we have also requested that oil company representatives be present where we are collecting the samples. After that, we will be sending the samples to the government-owned chemical labs, and after the results come, we will take further steps if it is necessary,” the minister added.Jacob said consumers had the right to know how much ethanol was blended into petrol, as it could affect vehicles and reduce mileage. He also urged people to keep politics out of the issue, saying consumers should be informed about the quality of the fuel they use.He said, “It’s a major concern what DK Shivakumar has expressed. It’s a major concern not only in Kerala or Karnataka, but it’s also across the country. The consumers have the right to know what they are using,” minsiter said.” Whether the ethanol is of a cheaper quality or whether the ethanol is above the prescribed limits, all this should be conveyed to the customers. They have the right to know… This is not a matter of politics or something. It’s a concern that has arisen. Many vehicles are getting damaged. The mileage is coming down. Many such issues have arisen. I don’t think politics should be mixed with this,” minister added.Meanwhile, the Keralam Civil Supplies Department conducted an inspection at fuel stations in Kochi to check the ethanol content in E20 petrol. District Civil Supplies Officer Shaji PR said officials had collected six samples, each measuring one litre, and sent two of them to an analytical chemical laboratory in Kakinada for testing. The results are awaited.“We conducted an inspection… We have inspected the details of the quantity of ethanol in the motor spirit, ordinary petrol. There were six samples at the rate of one litre taken. We sent two samples to an analytical chemical laboratory in Kakinada. We are waiting for the result,” Shaji PR told ANI.The inspections come amid concerns raised by Karnataka Minister Rizwan Arshad over the impact of petrol containing more than 20% ethanol on vehicles. He warned that higher ethanol concentrations could damage components in vehicles not designed to handle such fuel.At a press conference on November 6, Arshad said the Karnataka government had collected 63 samples from different locations across the state and from all major oil companies.Karnataka’s Department of Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology had claimed that petrol sold at certain retail outlets in the state contained between 26% and 31% ethanol.However, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said all 893 samples of E20 petrol collected from public sector oil marketing companies across 27 states and Union Territories had met the prescribed quality standards, countering claims of excessive ethanol blending.Three state-run oil marketing companies — Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited — also said ethanol blending was a controlled and automated process carried out under statutory guidelines rather than through manual intervention.