🔗 Share this article ‘A Critical Scenario’: War on Iran Tightens India's Cooking-Gas Availability. People queue up to buy cooking gas cylinders for home cooking in an urban center. The ripple effects of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's households. As aerial attacks on Iran disrupt energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, supplies of kitchen fuel are shrinking across India, pushing restaurants to cut menus, close earlier and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is filled with video clips showing crowds outside cooking-gas dealers across Indian urban and rural areas as concerns over fuel supplies spread. Restaurant kitchens appear the hardest struck: the sharpest squeeze is in food service establishments. "The state of affairs is alarming. LPG simply is unavailable," says a official of the an industry group. Most eateries run either on industrial fuel canisters or pipeline-supplied fuel, 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 traditional burners and electric cookers to keep kitchens going." City-Specific Fallout In Mumbai, accounts say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already fully or partly shut as commercial LPG supplies dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some restaurants say their fuel reserves have shrunk with little backup. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and nothing else - it is extremely difficult. Operations will be impacted," says a business operator in Bengaluru. A restaurant in Chennai which has ceased operations due to a shortage of cooking gas. Restaurant operators are seeking alternatives. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are cutting lunch service and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that stoppages are varying as supplies come and go. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a dynamic scenario." Retailers note a increase in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are facing stockouts. Government Stance Yet, the government insists there is adequate supply. India has more than a vast number of home fuel subscribers and spokespersons say stocks are being prioritized to households as geopolitical strain from the regional hostilities impact energy markets. About 60% of India's LPG is imported, and about nine out of ten of those imports pass through the critical waterway, the strategic bottleneck now effectively closed by the war. The oil ministry says that it ordered refineries to boost LPG output for household consumption, raising 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 "equitable and clear". "Some panic booking and stockpiling has been triggered by rumors. The normal delivery cycle for household cylinders remains about 60 hours," says a government spokesperson. Growing Panic Now the concern is moving beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a petrol pump. "Concern is genuine," the caption reads. India sources up to most of the petroleum it consumes, leaving it particularly vulnerable to disruptions in international markets. According to reports from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be exaggerated. India imports the overwhelming majority of its crude oil. Around half of its oil purchases - about 2.5 to 2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the deficit could be partly compensated for by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a industry commentator. Based on vessel tracking and expert analysis, increased Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, narrowing India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day. "Around 25-30 million 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 real vulnerability is LPG, commentators observe. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the Strait. Refineries can adjust processes to produce a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only lift domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be moderately reduced through varied suppliers. Refined product supply remains fairly adequate. Kitchen fuel stocks is the critical issue to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be heightening the panic on the ground is not just scarcity but erratic supply chains - and the usual problem of stockpiling. An industry representative alleges price gouging. "Suppliers are taking advantage of 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 petroleum stocks may be protected by global trade flows. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next gas canister.
People queue up to buy cooking gas cylinders for home cooking in an urban center. The ripple effects of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's households. As aerial attacks on Iran disrupt energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, supplies of kitchen fuel are shrinking across India, pushing restaurants to cut menus, close earlier and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is filled with video clips showing crowds outside cooking-gas dealers across Indian urban and rural areas as concerns over fuel supplies spread. Restaurant kitchens appear the hardest struck: the sharpest squeeze is in food service establishments. "The state of affairs is alarming. LPG simply is unavailable," says a official of the an industry group. Most eateries run either on industrial fuel canisters or pipeline-supplied fuel, 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 traditional burners and electric cookers to keep kitchens going." City-Specific Fallout In Mumbai, accounts say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already fully or partly shut as commercial LPG supplies dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some restaurants say their fuel reserves have shrunk with little backup. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and nothing else - it is extremely difficult. Operations will be impacted," says a business operator in Bengaluru. A restaurant in Chennai which has ceased operations due to a shortage of cooking gas. Restaurant operators are seeking alternatives. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are cutting lunch service and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that stoppages are varying as supplies come and go. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a dynamic scenario." Retailers note a increase in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are facing stockouts. Government Stance Yet, the government insists there is adequate supply. India has more than a vast number of home fuel subscribers and spokespersons say stocks are being prioritized to households as geopolitical strain from the regional hostilities impact energy markets. About 60% of India's LPG is imported, and about nine out of ten of those imports pass through the critical waterway, the strategic bottleneck now effectively closed by the war. The oil ministry says that it ordered refineries to boost LPG output for household consumption, raising 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 "equitable and clear". "Some panic booking and stockpiling has been triggered by rumors. The normal delivery cycle for household cylinders remains about 60 hours," says a government spokesperson. Growing Panic Now the concern is moving beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a petrol pump. "Concern is genuine," the caption reads. India sources up to most of the petroleum it consumes, leaving it particularly vulnerable to disruptions in international markets. According to reports from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be exaggerated. India imports the overwhelming majority of its crude oil. Around half of its oil purchases - about 2.5 to 2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the deficit could be partly compensated for by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a industry commentator. Based on vessel tracking and expert analysis, increased Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, narrowing India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day. "Around 25-30 million 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 real vulnerability is LPG, commentators observe. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the Strait. Refineries can adjust processes to produce a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only lift domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be moderately reduced through varied suppliers. Refined product supply remains fairly adequate. Kitchen fuel stocks is the critical issue to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be heightening the panic on the ground is not just scarcity but erratic supply chains - and the usual problem of stockpiling. An industry representative alleges price gouging. "Suppliers are taking advantage of 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 petroleum stocks may be protected by global trade flows. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next gas canister.