🔗 Share this article ‘A Critical Scenario’: War on Iran Constricts India's Cooking-Gas Stock. People line up to buy LPG tanks for domestic use in an urban center. The ripple effects of a conflict being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's households. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt energy shipments through the vital shipping lane, stocks of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are dwindling across India, pushing restaurants to reduce offerings, shorten hours and in some cases close completely. Social media is flooded by video clips showing lines outside LPG distributors across Indian urban and rural areas as anxieties over fuel supplies grow. Businesses appear the hardest struck: the sharpest squeeze is in food service establishments. "Conditions are critical. LPG simply cannot be found," says a spokesperson of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on industrial fuel canisters or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the shortages are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have closed - some in the capital, many in the south. People are switching to solid fuels and induction stoves to keep food preparation going." City-Specific Fallout In a western metro, accounts say up to a 20% of eateries are already fully or partly shut as business fuel stocks dry up. In the southern cities of tech and coastal hubs, some eateries say their fuel reserves 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 Chennai which has closed its doors due to a lack of LPG. Restaurant managers are seeking alternatives. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are cutting lunch service and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that stoppages are changing as supplies come and go. "Three restaurants in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a changing landscape." Retailers note a surge in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are running out of them. Official Position Yet, the officials maintains there is adequate supply. India has more than 300 million household consumers and officials say cylinders are being reallocated to households as conflict-related stress from the regional hostilities affect energy markets. Roughly 60% of India's LPG is imported, and about the vast majority of those consignments pass through the critical waterway, the narrow Gulf chokepoint now effectively closed by the hostilities. The petroleum ministry says that it directed refineries to boost LPG output for domestic use, raising domestic production by about a significant margin. Business-grade fuel is being allocated for vital industries such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "just and open". "Unnecessary hoarding and hoarding has been sparked by false reports. The regular refill period for household cylinders remains about two-and-a-half days," says a government spokesperson. Growing Panic Now the worry is spreading beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a extended procession of two-wheelers outside a fuel station. "The panic is real," the text reads. India sources up to 90% of the crude it consumes, leaving it highly exposed to disruptions in worldwide shipments. According to analysis from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be exaggerated. India imports almost all of its petroleum. Around half of its oil purchases - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from regional suppliers. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the gap could be partly compensated for by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a sector expert. Based on maritime intelligence and industry information, additional Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, lessening India's effective gap from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day. "Around 25-30 million Russian oil barrels are currently on the water in the Indian Ocean and, with only two major Asian economies as major buyers, those barrels remain a viable alternative," an analyst noted. Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness The key weakness is kitchen fuel, commentators observe. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - the vast majority through the chokepoint. Refineries can tweak operations to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only lift domestic supply to about 47-50% of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. In short: "Crude supply risk can be partially mitigated through alternative sourcing. Refined product supply remains fairly adequate. Cooking gas supply is the key factor to track in the coming weeks." What may be intensifying the panic on the ground is not just scarcity but uneven distribution - and the familiar spectre of stockpiling. An industry representative states exploitative practices. "Retailers are misusing the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and sold at a premium." For now, India's petroleum stocks may be cushioned by worldwide shipping. But in homes across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.
People line up to buy LPG tanks for domestic use in an urban center. The ripple effects of a conflict being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's households. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt energy shipments through the vital shipping lane, stocks of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are dwindling across India, pushing restaurants to reduce offerings, shorten hours and in some cases close completely. Social media is flooded by video clips showing lines outside LPG distributors across Indian urban and rural areas as anxieties over fuel supplies grow. Businesses appear the hardest struck: the sharpest squeeze is in food service establishments. "Conditions are critical. LPG simply cannot be found," says a spokesperson of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on industrial fuel canisters or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the shortages are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have closed - some in the capital, many in the south. People are switching to solid fuels and induction stoves to keep food preparation going." City-Specific Fallout In a western metro, accounts say up to a 20% of eateries are already fully or partly shut as business fuel stocks dry up. In the southern cities of tech and coastal hubs, some eateries say their fuel reserves 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 Chennai which has closed its doors due to a lack of LPG. Restaurant managers are seeking alternatives. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are cutting lunch service and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that stoppages are changing as supplies come and go. "Three restaurants in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a changing landscape." Retailers note a surge in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are running out of them. Official Position Yet, the officials maintains there is adequate supply. India has more than 300 million household consumers and officials say cylinders are being reallocated to households as conflict-related stress from the regional hostilities affect energy markets. Roughly 60% of India's LPG is imported, and about the vast majority of those consignments pass through the critical waterway, the narrow Gulf chokepoint now effectively closed by the hostilities. The petroleum ministry says that it directed refineries to boost LPG output for domestic use, raising domestic production by about a significant margin. Business-grade fuel is being allocated for vital industries such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "just and open". "Unnecessary hoarding and hoarding has been sparked by false reports. The regular refill period for household cylinders remains about two-and-a-half days," says a government spokesperson. Growing Panic Now the worry is spreading beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a extended procession of two-wheelers outside a fuel station. "The panic is real," the text reads. India sources up to 90% of the crude it consumes, leaving it highly exposed to disruptions in worldwide shipments. According to analysis from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be exaggerated. India imports almost all of its petroleum. Around half of its oil purchases - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from regional suppliers. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the gap could be partly compensated for by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a sector expert. Based on maritime intelligence and industry information, additional Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, lessening India's effective gap from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day. "Around 25-30 million Russian oil barrels are currently on the water in the Indian Ocean and, with only two major Asian economies as major buyers, those barrels remain a viable alternative," an analyst noted. Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness The key weakness is kitchen fuel, commentators observe. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - the vast majority through the chokepoint. Refineries can tweak operations to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only lift domestic supply to about 47-50% of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. In short: "Crude supply risk can be partially mitigated through alternative sourcing. Refined product supply remains fairly adequate. Cooking gas supply is the key factor to track in the coming weeks." What may be intensifying the panic on the ground is not just scarcity but uneven distribution - and the familiar spectre of stockpiling. An industry representative states exploitative practices. "Retailers are misusing the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and sold at a premium." For now, India's petroleum stocks may be cushioned by worldwide shipping. But in homes across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.