Karnataka minister Rizwan Arshad Friday alleged that tests at state-authorised labs found "excess" mixing of ethanol in E20 fuel, as high as 31.2% in some cases. Samples were collected from 63 petrol bunks across the state and 14 of them had ethanol above the prescribed limit, he said.

PSUs denied the claim, saying it was not supported by tests conducted under statutory and technical procedures. Fuel retailers said 56 samples from Karnataka, tested in a nationwide drive, were found to contain ethanol in the prescribed 19-21% range.