TNI Bureau: The roll out of E20 fuel, a mixture of 20 % ethanol and 80 % petrol has sparked a significant debate across India and the entire discussion revolves around Odisha. It has created a massive rift among the petroleum dealers associations In odisha with retailer juggling between rising consumer backlashes and government policy mandate. The debate centres around the safety and performance of vehicles, operational challenges and long standing dispute over the profit margins.

Reportedly the government introduced the E20 fuel to help farmers, protect the environment by reducing the harmful smoke and to lower India’s dependency on other countries for the importance oil. But the reality of this blend at petrol pumps has been quite complicated.

According to Odisha’s Petroleum dealers association’s president Sasanka Sekhar Sahu, petrol pump owners are facing a tough situation. They are the ones who meet customers everyday and are dealing with their anger and dissatisfaction. After receiving many backlashes, the Petrolium dealers association in Odisha has publically urged the government to reconsider the widespread roll out of E20 fuel.

As per the consumers, many old model vehicles were not built for E20 fuel. Such high amount of ethanol is damaging the vehicle’s engine. Owners are noticing various technical issues after using the fuel blend such as clogged carburettors, concern about the engine longevity and mileage drop.

The dealers feel they are in a tough spot because they do not make the government fuel policies, they simply sell what they are provided. According to them, others contries are sticking to 10 % ethanol while India is jumping to 20% directly is being problematic for many car owners. The association suggested that, India is currently not ready for 20 % ethanol right now. The government should go back to 10% ethanol blend now until the country is ready to handle the switch.

On the other hand, many motorist like Maruti Suzuki and Toyota publically defended the fuel. On concerns over ethanol-blended petrol, General Secretary, Utkal Petroleum Dealers’ Association, Sanjay Lath said that, since the notification came out, many people have raised psychological concerns, often posting on social media without evidence. At our own petrol pumps, none of the customers’ vehicles has shown any problems with E20. He stated that, using the E20 fuel is totally safe. There’s no evidence linking vehicle malfunction directly to E20 fuel. The viral breakdown of vehicles are happening due to poor maintainance by the owner. Many social media influencers are exaggerating the issue to brainwash the common people. Three institutions have found out that, ethanol may cause some problems to the old model vehicles, particularly on rubber parts but there’s no solid proof of damage as of now.

Meanwhile, the central government remains committed to the E20 fuel mandate under the National Biofuel Policy stating it’s important role in reducing the countries dependany on imported oil and keeping the environment pollution free.