Minister Rizwan Arshad said the state will not implement the Centre’s notification extending the mandatory verification of petrol and diesel dispensers from once in 12 months to once in 24 months
In a letter dated Sept 28 to Union consumer affairs minister Pralhad Joshi, state food and civil supplies minister Rizwan Arshad sought withdrawal of the Dec 2025 notification that extends mandatory verification of petrol and diesel dispensers from once in 12 months to once in 24 months, and the May 2026 notification that lets approved private testing centres verify the machines.
Of 3,071 nozzles tested, 2,618 showed deviation from rated accuracy. The survey found that nozzles still within the limit were nearing the threshold in just 9 to 11 months. The minister said a 24-month cycle would let many dispensers cross the limit long before the next check.
“Doubling this interval, without a supporting nationwide scientific study, would compound that exposure rather than mitigate it,” he wrote. On private centres, Arshad said verification is a sovereign function exercised by the state in trust for consumers and cannot be outsourced to profit-driven entities. A centre commercially engaged by the trade whose instruments it certifies cannot be expected to show the same independence, he said, pointing to a conflict of interest. It will continue annual verification and stamping through legal metrology officials,” he said.
“Karnataka has already decided not to implement either notification.