85% of Fuel Nozzles in Inspected Karnataka Petrol Pumps Defective
An inspection of 805 petrol stations in Karnataka has found that 85.2% of fuel dispensing nozzles were defective, according to state government data. The checks, conducted over the past week, covered 3,071 nozzles, of which 2,618 were found to have errors beyond the permissible limit of 25 ml per five litres.
The 805 stations were deliberately selected because their fuel dispensing nozzles had been recalibrated less than a year ago. Karnataka has a total of 5,926 petrol stations. Of the stations checked, 101 were found to have nozzles dispensing fuel above the permissible error limit. A cumulative fine of ₹6.66 lakh has been imposed on these 101 stations.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad told reporters on Wednesday that consumers in Karnataka could be losing hundreds of crores annually. “We wanted to do a scientific study of those petrol stations where the recalibration was conducted less than a year ago. The study showed us errors in big numbers,” he said. “If the latest Centre’s notification is to be implemented, it could be a big blow to consumer interest since recalibration will be done once in 24 months instead of 12. The margin of error will only increase and consumers will be affected.”
Data provided by the state government shows that 1,480.36 crore litres of fuel were sold in Karnataka in 2024-2025. The Minister said all petrol stations will have to get their recalibration done annually under Rule 4(12) of The Karnataka Legal Metrology (Enforcement) Rules, 2011. He added that inspection and calibration of nozzles in the remaining stations will be completed before December 2026.
On the permissible error of 25 ml per five litres, the Minister said, “There are possibilities of errors after the recalibration. Even that should not be tolerated. The fuel stations should report and get the recalibration done immediately.”
The exercise comes against the backdrop of the Union government mandating inspection and recalibration by legal metrology once in 24 months instead of the current 12 months. Karnataka has decided to oppose and not implement the Centre’s seventh amendment in 2025 to The Legal Metrology (General) Seventh Amendment Rules, 2025, (G.S.R. 905(E)), which makes recalibration mandatory once in 24 months. The State will retain annual recalibration.
Karnataka, along with many other States, has also opposed an amendment brought to Section 24(1) of The Legal Metrology Act, 2009, in May 2026, that allows third-party government test centres to carry out inspection and recalibration. Currently, this exercise is done by officials of the Legal Metrology Department.
Under the Karnataka Legal Metrology Rules, every petrol station must fill a five-litre can with a fuel dispensing nozzle before the start of business each day to identify problems. Consumers also have the right to ask for this check to ascertain if the correct quantity is being dispensed. Stations must report to authorities for inspection and recalibration even if the quantity is within the permissible limit of 25 ml per five litres.
The government says stations must display a board providing a toll-free number, email ID, date of calibration, and when it is due for calibration. A dashboard of all stations will be created by the government that can be accessed by the public.
Consumers can complain on 1800 599 1100 or write to clm-lm-ka@nic.in.
