Oil marketing companies have concluded their nationwide audit with no evidence of fuel adulteration or water contamination after conducting nearly 14,000 inspections across fuel stations. According to latest reports, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) carried out this massive verification exercise following unverified social media claims about ethanol-blended petrol (E20). The comprehensive inspection campaign found no instances of water contamination, fuel adulteration or significant quality lapses across the outlets inspected, as reported by multiple sources.
The inspection campaign revealed that Hindustan Petroleum Corporation conducted 3,651 inspections between July 3 and July 13, including 2,173 surprise inspections, 1,385 routine inspections and 93 targeted checks by its Anti-Adulteration Quality Assurance Cell. Additionally, HPCL deployed mobile laboratories that tested 49 fuel samples on-site. IOC had previously conducted nearly 10,000 surprise inspections and more than 8,500 fuel quality tests across its retail outlets over the past week, as reported by NDTV. Both companies emphasized that fuel sold through authorised petrol pumps complies with prescribed quality specifications and reiterated their zero-tolerance policy towards adulteration.
The OMCs have deployed hundreds of special inspection teams to independently verify compliance with quality standards at retail outlets. As reported by NDTV, IOC has maintained a 'zero-tolerance' policy towards fuel adulteration, contamination and any violation of prescribed quality standards. The companies stated that strict action is taken against dealers found to be in breach of contractual obligations, with any case of adulteration, contamination, or violation of prescribed fuel quality standards detected through inspections or customer complaints resulting in strict action against the concerned dealer as per applicable guidelines and contractual provisions.
The OMCs urged motorists not to rely on unverified social media posts and instead report any fuel-quality concerns through official customer care channels or directly at retail outlets. According to NDTV, IOC has reaffirmed that maintaining fuel quality and customer confidence remains at the centre of its operations, with the company encouraging consumers to immediately report any fuel-related concerns directly at the retail outlet or through the company's official customer care channels. The companies assured that all complaints are investigated through a 'transparent and well-defined process' to ensure timely resolution.
