🔗 Share this article ‘A Critical Scenario’: Conflict on Iran Squeezes India's Cooking-Gas Stock. People line up to buy fuel canisters for home cooking in a major Indian city. The ripple effects of a conflict being fought nearly a significant distance away are now being felt in India's homes. As aerial attacks on Iran disrupt energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, supplies of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are tightening across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, shorten hours and in some cases close completely. Social media is filled with video clips showing lines outside LPG distributors across Indian metros and localities as anxieties over fuel supplies grow. Commercial LPG users appear the most affected: the sharpest squeeze is in restaurant kitchens. "Conditions are critical. LPG simply cannot be found," says a official of the a major restaurant body. Most restaurants run either on commercial LPG cylinders or direct gas lines, and the scarcities are now being felt across the country. "A lot of restaurants have closed - some in the capital, many in the southern region. People are turning to solid fuels and electric cookers to keep food preparation going." Localized Effects In a financial hub, local news say up to a 20% of eateries are already operating at reduced capacity as business fuel stocks tighten. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some establishments say their gas stocks have dwindled with scarce alternatives. "We can only make coffee and nothing else - it is truly dismal. Operations will be impacted," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru. A food joint in a southern city which has ceased operations due to a lack of cooking gas. Restaurant operators are scrambling to adapt. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are opening only for dinner and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that closures are fluctuating as supplies ebb and flow. "Three restaurants in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a dynamic scenario." Retailers observe a spike in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are selling out quickly. Official Position Yet, the officials insists there is no shortage. India has more than 300 million household consumers and officials say stocks are being redirected to households as conflict-related stress from the war in the Gulf affect energy markets. Approximately six out of ten of India's LPG is imported, and about 90% of those consignments pass through the critical waterway, the strategic bottleneck now largely blocked by the war. The relevant department says that it ordered refineries to boost LPG output for household consumption, enhancing domestic production by about a significant margin. Business-grade fuel is being allocated for essential sectors such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "just and open". "A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been sparked by false reports. The standard supply timeline for domestic LPG remains about under three days," says a ministry representative. Growing Panic Now the concern is spreading beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of two-wheelers outside a petrol pump. "Anxiety is palpable," the caption reads. India imports up to a vast majority of the oil it consumes, leaving it significantly susceptible to disruptions in worldwide shipments. According to data 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 millions of barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Gulf countries. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the shortfall could be partly compensated for by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on shipping data and industry information, additional Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, narrowing India's effective gap from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day. "Tens of millions 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 available backup," an analyst noted. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The key weakness is cooking gas, commentators observe. India consumes roughly 1 million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint. Refineries can adjust processes to produce a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only increase domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be moderately reduced through varied suppliers. Fuel availability remains fairly adequate. Kitchen fuel stocks is the real variable to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the anxiety on the ground is not just tight supply but erratic supply chains - and the usual problem of panic buying. An industry representative alleges price gouging. "Retailers are taking advantage of the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a high cost. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being accumulated and auctioned off." For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by global trade flows. But in homes across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next gas canister.
People line up to buy fuel canisters for home cooking in a major Indian city. The ripple effects of a conflict being fought nearly a significant distance away are now being felt in India's homes. As aerial attacks on Iran disrupt energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, supplies of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are tightening across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, shorten hours and in some cases close completely. Social media is filled with video clips showing lines outside LPG distributors across Indian metros and localities as anxieties over fuel supplies grow. Commercial LPG users appear the most affected: the sharpest squeeze is in restaurant kitchens. "Conditions are critical. LPG simply cannot be found," says a official of the a major restaurant body. Most restaurants run either on commercial LPG cylinders or direct gas lines, and the scarcities are now being felt across the country. "A lot of restaurants have closed - some in the capital, many in the southern region. People are turning to solid fuels and electric cookers to keep food preparation going." Localized Effects In a financial hub, local news say up to a 20% of eateries are already operating at reduced capacity as business fuel stocks tighten. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some establishments say their gas stocks have dwindled with scarce alternatives. "We can only make coffee and nothing else - it is truly dismal. Operations will be impacted," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru. A food joint in a southern city which has ceased operations due to a lack of cooking gas. Restaurant operators are scrambling to adapt. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are opening only for dinner and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that closures are fluctuating as supplies ebb and flow. "Three restaurants in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a dynamic scenario." Retailers observe a spike in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are selling out quickly. Official Position Yet, the officials insists there is no shortage. India has more than 300 million household consumers and officials say stocks are being redirected to households as conflict-related stress from the war in the Gulf affect energy markets. Approximately six out of ten of India's LPG is imported, and about 90% of those consignments pass through the critical waterway, the strategic bottleneck now largely blocked by the war. The relevant department says that it ordered refineries to boost LPG output for household consumption, enhancing domestic production by about a significant margin. Business-grade fuel is being allocated for essential sectors such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "just and open". "A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been sparked by false reports. The standard supply timeline for domestic LPG remains about under three days," says a ministry representative. Growing Panic Now the concern is spreading beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of two-wheelers outside a petrol pump. "Anxiety is palpable," the caption reads. India imports up to a vast majority of the oil it consumes, leaving it significantly susceptible to disruptions in worldwide shipments. According to data 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 millions of barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Gulf countries. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the shortfall could be partly compensated for by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on shipping data and industry information, additional Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, narrowing India's effective gap from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day. "Tens of millions 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 available backup," an analyst noted. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The key weakness is cooking gas, commentators observe. India consumes roughly 1 million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint. Refineries can adjust processes to produce a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only increase domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be moderately reduced through varied suppliers. Fuel availability remains fairly adequate. Kitchen fuel stocks is the real variable to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the anxiety on the ground is not just tight supply but erratic supply chains - and the usual problem of panic buying. An industry representative alleges price gouging. "Retailers are taking advantage of the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a high cost. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being accumulated and auctioned off." For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by global trade flows. But in homes across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next gas canister.