Jammu: J&K Petrol Pump Dealers Association (PPDA) has cautioned the petrol vehicle owners to follow specific guidelines for smooth and uninterrupted ride on their vehicles as oil companies have started selling ethanol blended petrol in J&K.
Addressing a press conference in Jammu on Sunday, president J&K PPDA Anan Sharma said that all the three oil corporations viz. Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum have started selling M S (petrol) blended with ethanol (Ethyl Alcohol) by a proportion of 10% cross across the country including J&K with effect from July 9, 2021 without any information to the masses, which was their primary responsibility.
Mr Sharma said ethanol blended fuel is cleaner and have higher octane number which provides increased power and performance than ordinary gasoline but it has higher evaporative emissions from fuel tanks, thus requires frequent checks of water content present in the fuel tank.
He said while oil companies and petrol pump dealers have taken appropriate measures for converting their storage tanks water free, vehicle owners must take some precautions such as checking fuel tank of the vehicle for any water content, cleaning fuel tank by a qualified mechanic, keep the vehicle covered while standing idle for long intervals particularly during rainy season and check lid of the fuel tank to ensure its proper placement with the entry point of the fuel tank.
“If a single drop of water exists in the oil tank of the vehicle, the entire ethanol gets mixed with water. In rainy season, there is every apprehension of the rain drops to get slipped into the oil tanks of the vehicles which can create problem in smooth running of the vehicles as it can lead to missing and the vehicle can come to a sudden halt,” he added.
Sharma said the petrol vehicle owners shall manage the oil tanks of their vehicles in such a way that there remains no chance of slippage of water even through the key hole of the oil tank.
