🔗 Share this article ‘The Situation is Dire’: Hostilities on Iran Squeezes India's Cooking-Gas Stock. People wait in lines to buy fuel canisters for domestic use in an urban center. The ripple effects of a military engagement being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's homes. As military actions on Iran impede energy transports through the key maritime chokepoint, supplies of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are dwindling across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, shorten hours and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is awash with video clips showing crowds outside cooking-gas dealers across Indian urban and rural areas as concerns over fuel supplies escalate. Businesses appear the most affected: the sharpest squeeze is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. Cooking gas simply is unavailable," says a official of the a major restaurant body. Most restaurants run either on industrial fuel canisters or piped gas, and the lack of supply are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have closed - some in Delhi, many in the south. People are turning to traditional burners and electric cookers to keep food preparation going." Localized Effects In a western metro, local news say up to a significant portion of hotels and restaurants are already fully or partly shut as cylinder availability tighten. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their gas stocks have shrunk with minimal reserves. "We can only make coffee and no other dishes - it is extremely difficult. Commerce will take a hit," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru. A eatery in Chennai which has ceased operations due to a shortage of kitchen fuel. Restaurant operators are seeking alternatives. "Food options are being cut, some are cutting lunch service and opening only for dinner," an industry representative says, adding that closures are fluctuating as supplies wax and wane. "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 induction stoves, with some saying they are running out of them. Authority's View Yet, the government maintains there is sufficient stock. India has more than a vast number of household consumers and officials say cylinders are being reallocated to households as tensions from the war in the Gulf affect energy markets. Approximately 60% of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about 90% of those consignments pass through the critical waterway, the strategic bottleneck now largely blocked by the war. The oil ministry says that it instructed refineries to increase LPG output for home needs, lifting domestic production by about 25%. Non-domestic supply is being prioritised for essential sectors such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "just and open". "Some panic booking and hoarding has been sparked by false reports. The standard supply timeline for home fuel remains about 60 hours," says a government spokesperson. Widening Concern Now the worry is spreading 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 imports up to 90% of the crude it uses, leaving it significantly susceptible to interruptions in global supplies. According to reports from industry analysts, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be exaggerated. India imports 90% of its crude oil. Around half of its crude oil imports - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the waterway, largely from regional suppliers. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the shortfall could be partly made up by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a industry commentator. Based on maritime intelligence and industry information, incremental Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, narrowing India's effective deficit 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 on the water in the Indian Ocean and, with only India and China as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted. Kitchen Fuel: The Primary Concern The key weakness is kitchen fuel, commentators observe. India consumes roughly one million barrels a day, but produces only a minority share domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint. Refineries can tweak operations to squeeze out 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. Refined product supply remains largely sufficient. Kitchen fuel stocks is the key factor to watch in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the panic on the ground is not just scarcity but patchy deliveries - and the usual problem of stockpiling. An industry representative alleges opportunistic profiteering. "Retailers 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 accumulated and auctioned off." For now, India's energy imports may be cushioned by worldwide shipping. But in homes across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next refill.
People wait in lines to buy fuel canisters for domestic use in an urban center. The ripple effects of a military engagement being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's homes. As military actions on Iran impede energy transports through the key maritime chokepoint, supplies of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are dwindling across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, shorten hours and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is awash with video clips showing crowds outside cooking-gas dealers across Indian urban and rural areas as concerns over fuel supplies escalate. Businesses appear the most affected: the sharpest squeeze is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. Cooking gas simply is unavailable," says a official of the a major restaurant body. Most restaurants run either on industrial fuel canisters or piped gas, and the lack of supply are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have closed - some in Delhi, many in the south. People are turning to traditional burners and electric cookers to keep food preparation going." Localized Effects In a western metro, local news say up to a significant portion of hotels and restaurants are already fully or partly shut as cylinder availability tighten. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their gas stocks have shrunk with minimal reserves. "We can only make coffee and no other dishes - it is extremely difficult. Commerce will take a hit," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru. A eatery in Chennai which has ceased operations due to a shortage of kitchen fuel. Restaurant operators are seeking alternatives. "Food options are being cut, some are cutting lunch service and opening only for dinner," an industry representative says, adding that closures are fluctuating as supplies wax and wane. "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 induction stoves, with some saying they are running out of them. Authority's View Yet, the government maintains there is sufficient stock. India has more than a vast number of household consumers and officials say cylinders are being reallocated to households as tensions from the war in the Gulf affect energy markets. Approximately 60% of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about 90% of those consignments pass through the critical waterway, the strategic bottleneck now largely blocked by the war. The oil ministry says that it instructed refineries to increase LPG output for home needs, lifting domestic production by about 25%. Non-domestic supply is being prioritised for essential sectors such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "just and open". "Some panic booking and hoarding has been sparked by false reports. The standard supply timeline for home fuel remains about 60 hours," says a government spokesperson. Widening Concern Now the worry is spreading 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 imports up to 90% of the crude it uses, leaving it significantly susceptible to interruptions in global supplies. According to reports from industry analysts, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be exaggerated. India imports 90% of its crude oil. Around half of its crude oil imports - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the waterway, largely from regional suppliers. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the shortfall could be partly made up by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a industry commentator. Based on maritime intelligence and industry information, incremental Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, narrowing India's effective deficit 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 on the water in the Indian Ocean and, with only India and China as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted. Kitchen Fuel: The Primary Concern The key weakness is kitchen fuel, commentators observe. India consumes roughly one million barrels a day, but produces only a minority share domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint. Refineries can tweak operations to squeeze out 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. Refined product supply remains largely sufficient. Kitchen fuel stocks is the key factor to watch in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the panic on the ground is not just scarcity but patchy deliveries - and the usual problem of stockpiling. An industry representative alleges opportunistic profiteering. "Retailers 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 accumulated and auctioned off." For now, India's energy imports may be cushioned by worldwide shipping. But in homes across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next refill.