West Bengal Consumer Affairs minister Sadhan Pande Saturday said the price of petrol blended with ethanol should be reduced and consumers must be informed that they are buying blended fuel.
Retail petro dealers should arrange for the adequate display of this information, he said on the sidelines of MCCI India Economic Forum 2018.
Refiners are blending 10 per cent ethanol with petrol, Pande said adding "Keeping consumers in the dark about ethanol being mixed with petrol at the pumps is an act of cheating. Consumers should be made aware of this."
If ethanol is mixed then the price of petrol should be reduced. "I have been informed that the Centre has earned Rs 12,000 crore in the last fiscal through this practice," Pande, a senior Trinamool Congress leader said.
The price of fuel has skyrocketed in the domestic market and is at an all time high prompting the opposition parties to demand reduction in its prices.
Ethanol being a hydroscopic product absorbs water and affects the mileage of the vehicle, the consumer affairs minister said.
Pande said he has written to the petroleum ministry and urged it to create awareness among consumers about the ethanol blended petrol being sold to them. "Banners and hoardings should be put up at the petrol pumps."
The minister said held a meeting with three leading petroleum companies and senior officials of West Bengal Petroleum Dealers' Association (WBPDA) recently.
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