🔗 Share this article ‘An Alarming State of Affairs’: Hostilities on Iran Constricts India's Cooking-Gas Stock. People queue up to buy LPG tanks for household consumption in a major Indian city. The shockwaves of a conflict being fought nearly a significant distance away are now reaching India's kitchens. As military actions on Iran disrupt energy transports through the Strait of Hormuz, availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are dwindling across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, close earlier and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is filled with video clips showing queues outside LPG distributors across Indian cities and towns as anxieties over fuel supplies escalate. Commercial LPG users appear the most affected: the most severe shortage is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. Kitchen fuel simply cannot be found," says a spokesperson of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on business-grade gas tanks or piped gas, and the scarcities are now being felt across the country. "Numerous restaurants have closed - some in northern India, many in the south. People are adopting coal and wood and electric cookers to keep their operations going." City-Specific Fallout In Mumbai, local news say up to a fifth of hospitality businesses are already operating at reduced capacity as business fuel stocks dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their cylinder inventory have dwindled with little backup. "Coffee is the sole item we can prepare and no food items - it is extremely difficult. Businesses are going to suffer," says a business operator in Bengaluru. A eatery in Chennai which has shut down due to a shortage of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are rushing to adjust. "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 - some have resumed operations. It's a dynamic scenario." Retailers note a increase in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are running out of them. Authority's View Yet, the government states there is no shortage. India has more than a vast number of home fuel subscribers and officials say stocks are being prioritized to households as tensions from the regional hostilities affect energy markets. Approximately six out of ten of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about the vast majority of those shipments pass through the key maritime route, the narrow Gulf chokepoint now largely blocked by the war. The petroleum ministry says that it ordered refineries to maximise LPG output for household consumption, lifting domestic production by about a quarter. Non-domestic supply is being reserved for essential sectors such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "Some panic booking and stockpiling has been triggered by false reports. The standard supply timeline for domestic LPG remains about 60 hours," says a ministry representative. Widening Concern Now the anxiety is spreading beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a extended procession of scooters outside a petrol pump. "Anxiety is palpable," the text reads. India brings in up to 90% of the petroleum it requires, leaving it particularly vulnerable to problems in international markets. According to analysis from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be overstated. India imports 90% of its petroleum. Around a significant portion of its crude oil imports - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the strait, largely from regional suppliers. Even if petroleum transit through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the gap could be partly made up by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a sector expert. Based on vessel tracking and credible market sources, additional Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, lessening India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day. "Around 25-30 million Russian oil barrels are currently in transit at sea in the Indian Ocean and, with only two major Asian economies as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted. Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness The primary concern is cooking gas, 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 alternative sourcing. Fuel availability remains relatively comfortable. Cooking gas supply is the key factor to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be intensifying the concern on the ground is not just limited availability but erratic supply chains - and the familiar spectre of stockpiling. An industry representative claims opportunistic profiteering. "Suppliers are exploiting the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a high cost. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and auctioned off." For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by worldwide shipping. But in kitchens across the country, the more urgent issue is simple: how to get the next refill.
People queue up to buy LPG tanks for household consumption in a major Indian city. The shockwaves of a conflict being fought nearly a significant distance away are now reaching India's kitchens. As military actions on Iran disrupt energy transports through the Strait of Hormuz, availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are dwindling across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, close earlier and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is filled with video clips showing queues outside LPG distributors across Indian cities and towns as anxieties over fuel supplies escalate. Commercial LPG users appear the most affected: the most severe shortage is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. Kitchen fuel simply cannot be found," says a spokesperson of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on business-grade gas tanks or piped gas, and the scarcities are now being felt across the country. "Numerous restaurants have closed - some in northern India, many in the south. People are adopting coal and wood and electric cookers to keep their operations going." City-Specific Fallout In Mumbai, local news say up to a fifth of hospitality businesses are already operating at reduced capacity as business fuel stocks dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their cylinder inventory have dwindled with little backup. "Coffee is the sole item we can prepare and no food items - it is extremely difficult. Businesses are going to suffer," says a business operator in Bengaluru. A eatery in Chennai which has shut down due to a shortage of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are rushing to adjust. "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 - some have resumed operations. It's a dynamic scenario." Retailers note a increase in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are running out of them. Authority's View Yet, the government states there is no shortage. India has more than a vast number of home fuel subscribers and officials say stocks are being prioritized to households as tensions from the regional hostilities affect energy markets. Approximately six out of ten of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about the vast majority of those shipments pass through the key maritime route, the narrow Gulf chokepoint now largely blocked by the war. The petroleum ministry says that it ordered refineries to maximise LPG output for household consumption, lifting domestic production by about a quarter. Non-domestic supply is being reserved for essential sectors such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "Some panic booking and stockpiling has been triggered by false reports. The standard supply timeline for domestic LPG remains about 60 hours," says a ministry representative. Widening Concern Now the anxiety is spreading beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a extended procession of scooters outside a petrol pump. "Anxiety is palpable," the text reads. India brings in up to 90% of the petroleum it requires, leaving it particularly vulnerable to problems in international markets. According to analysis from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be overstated. India imports 90% of its petroleum. Around a significant portion of its crude oil imports - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the strait, largely from regional suppliers. Even if petroleum transit through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the gap could be partly made up by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a sector expert. Based on vessel tracking and credible market sources, additional Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, lessening India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day. "Around 25-30 million Russian oil barrels are currently in transit at sea in the Indian Ocean and, with only two major Asian economies as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted. Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness The primary concern is cooking gas, 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 alternative sourcing. Fuel availability remains relatively comfortable. Cooking gas supply is the key factor to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be intensifying the concern on the ground is not just limited availability but erratic supply chains - and the familiar spectre of stockpiling. An industry representative claims opportunistic profiteering. "Suppliers are exploiting the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a high cost. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and auctioned off." For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by worldwide shipping. But in kitchens across the country, the more urgent issue is simple: how to get the next refill.