🔗 Share this article ‘An Alarming State of Affairs’: Hostilities on Iran Tightens India's LPG Supplies. People line up to buy cooking gas cylinders for home cooking in an urban center. The ripple effects of a military engagement being fought nearly 3,000km away are now impacting India's kitchens. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran impede energy transports through the vital shipping lane, supplies of cooking gas are dwindling across India, compelling restaurants to cut menus, shorten hours and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is flooded by video clips showing lines outside fuel suppliers across Indian metros and localities as concerns over fuel supplies escalate. Commercial LPG users appear the most affected: the most severe shortage is in restaurant kitchens. "The state of affairs is alarming. Cooking gas simply isn't available," says a representative of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on business-grade gas tanks or piped gas, and the scarcities are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have ceased operations - some in the capital, many in the southern region. People are switching to coal and wood and induction stoves to keep kitchens going." Localized Effects In Mumbai, local news say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already fully or partly shut as business fuel stocks tighten. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their cylinder inventory have dwindled with minimal reserves. "We can only make coffee and no other dishes - it is nothing less than pathetic. Businesses are going to suffer," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru. A eatery in a southern city which has ceased operations due to a scarcity of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Menus are being curtailed, some are cutting lunch service and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are fluctuating as supplies wax and wane. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a fluid situation." Retailers observe a surge in sales of electronic cooking appliances, with some saying they are facing stockouts. Authority's View Yet, the officials insists there is no shortage. India has more than a vast number of domestic LPG users and authorities say cylinders are being redirected to households as conflict-related stress from the war in the Gulf affect energy markets. Roughly a majority of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about the vast majority of those imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital passage now significantly disrupted by the war. The petroleum ministry says that it directed refineries to maximise LPG output for home needs, lifting domestic production by about 25%. Commercial stock is being prioritised for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "equitable and clear". "Unnecessary hoarding and stockpiling has been triggered by false reports. The regular refill period for household cylinders remains about two-and-a-half days," says a ministry representative. Widening Concern Now the anxiety is moving beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of two-wheelers outside a fuel station. "Anxiety is palpable," the description reads. India brings in up to a vast majority of the oil it uses, leaving it highly exposed to disruptions in international markets. According to reports from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader energy security may be exaggerated. India imports almost all of its oil. Around 50% of its crude oil imports - about 2.5 to 2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the waterway, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the gap could be partly compensated for by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on vessel tracking and credible market sources, increased Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, lessening India's effective deficit from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day. "A large quantity of Russian oil barrels are currently floating on ships in the Indian Ocean and, with only India and China as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted. Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness The primary concern is LPG, analysts say. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through the chokepoint. Refineries can adjust processes to extract a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only raise domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be somewhat alleviated through diversification. Fuel availability remains relatively comfortable. Kitchen fuel stocks is the key factor to watch in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the anxiety on the ground is not just limited availability but patchy deliveries - and the usual problem of panic buying. An industry representative states opportunistic profiteering. "Distributors are exploiting the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a inflated price. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being accumulated and auctioned off." For now, India's oil supplies may be buffered by global trade flows. But in homes across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.
People line up to buy cooking gas cylinders for home cooking in an urban center. The ripple effects of a military engagement being fought nearly 3,000km away are now impacting India's kitchens. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran impede energy transports through the vital shipping lane, supplies of cooking gas are dwindling across India, compelling restaurants to cut menus, shorten hours and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is flooded by video clips showing lines outside fuel suppliers across Indian metros and localities as concerns over fuel supplies escalate. Commercial LPG users appear the most affected: the most severe shortage is in restaurant kitchens. "The state of affairs is alarming. Cooking gas simply isn't available," says a representative of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on business-grade gas tanks or piped gas, and the scarcities are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have ceased operations - some in the capital, many in the southern region. People are switching to coal and wood and induction stoves to keep kitchens going." Localized Effects In Mumbai, local news say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already fully or partly shut as business fuel stocks tighten. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their cylinder inventory have dwindled with minimal reserves. "We can only make coffee and no other dishes - it is nothing less than pathetic. Businesses are going to suffer," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru. A eatery in a southern city which has ceased operations due to a scarcity of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Menus are being curtailed, some are cutting lunch service and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are fluctuating as supplies wax and wane. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a fluid situation." Retailers observe a surge in sales of electronic cooking appliances, with some saying they are facing stockouts. Authority's View Yet, the officials insists there is no shortage. India has more than a vast number of domestic LPG users and authorities say cylinders are being redirected to households as conflict-related stress from the war in the Gulf affect energy markets. Roughly a majority of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about the vast majority of those imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital passage now significantly disrupted by the war. The petroleum ministry says that it directed refineries to maximise LPG output for home needs, lifting domestic production by about 25%. Commercial stock is being prioritised for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "equitable and clear". "Unnecessary hoarding and stockpiling has been triggered by false reports. The regular refill period for household cylinders remains about two-and-a-half days," says a ministry representative. Widening Concern Now the anxiety is moving beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of two-wheelers outside a fuel station. "Anxiety is palpable," the description reads. India brings in up to a vast majority of the oil it uses, leaving it highly exposed to disruptions in international markets. According to reports from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader energy security may be exaggerated. India imports almost all of its oil. Around 50% of its crude oil imports - about 2.5 to 2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the waterway, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the gap could be partly compensated for by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on vessel tracking and credible market sources, increased Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, lessening India's effective deficit from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day. "A large quantity of Russian oil barrels are currently floating on ships in the Indian Ocean and, with only India and China as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted. Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness The primary concern is LPG, analysts say. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through the chokepoint. Refineries can adjust processes to extract a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only raise domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be somewhat alleviated through diversification. Fuel availability remains relatively comfortable. Kitchen fuel stocks is the key factor to watch in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the anxiety on the ground is not just limited availability but patchy deliveries - and the usual problem of panic buying. An industry representative states opportunistic profiteering. "Distributors are exploiting the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a inflated price. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being accumulated and auctioned off." For now, India's oil supplies may be buffered by global trade flows. But in homes across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.