New Delhi, Nov. 9 -- The Keralam government has intensified inspections at petrol pumps across the state amid concerns over excessive ethanol blending in fuel, following allegations in Karnataka that petrol sold at some outlets contained ethanol levels above the prescribed 20 per cent limit.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob said random inspections were being conducted in four districts - Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Kannur - following complaints about vehicle damage and concerns over the ethanol content in petrol.

In the latest inspection in Kochi, the Keralam Civil Supplies Department collected six one-litre petrol samples and sent two of them to an analytical chemical laboratory in Kakinada for testing. The...