🔗 Share this article ‘A Critical Scenario’: Hostilities on Iran Tightens India's Cooking-Gas Supplies. People wait in lines to buy fuel canisters for home cooking in an urban center. The repercussions of a military engagement being fought nearly 3,000km away are now impacting India's households. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran hinder energy deliveries through the vital shipping lane, stocks of cooking gas are shrinking across India, compelling restaurants to reduce offerings, shorten hours and in some cases shut down altogether. Social media is awash with video clips showing lines outside fuel suppliers across Indian cities and towns as concerns over fuel supplies grow. Restaurant kitchens appear the most affected: the sharpest squeeze is in restaurant kitchens. "The state of affairs is alarming. Kitchen fuel simply is unavailable," says a representative of the a major restaurant body. Most restaurants run either on business-grade gas tanks or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the lack of supply are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have closed - some in the capital, many in the southern states. People are adopting solid fuels and electronic appliances to keep food preparation going." City-Specific Fallout In a financial hub, local news say up to a fifth of hotels and restaurants are already fully or partly shut as cylinder availability dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some establishments say their gas stocks have shrunk with scarce alternatives. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and no food items - it is truly dismal. Businesses are going to suffer," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru. A restaurant in a southern city which has closed its doors due to a shortage of kitchen fuel. Restaurant owners are scrambling to adapt. "Food options are being cut, some are opening only for dinner and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that closures are fluctuating as supplies come and go. "Three restaurants in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a fluid situation." Retailers observe a increase in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are facing stockouts. Authority's View Yet, the authorities insists there is no shortage. India has more than 30 crore home fuel subscribers and spokespersons say cylinders are being prioritized to households as tensions from the Middle East conflict affect energy markets. About 60% of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about nine out of ten of those consignments pass through the key maritime route, the vital passage now largely blocked by the hostilities. The oil ministry says that it directed refineries to boost LPG output for home needs, enhancing domestic production by about a significant margin. Non-domestic supply is being reserved for essential sectors such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "A degree of anxious stocking and stockpiling has been triggered by false reports. The regular refill period for home fuel remains about under three days," says a ministry representative. Widening Concern Now the concern is moving beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a fuel station. "Anxiety is palpable," the text reads. India imports up to a vast majority of the petroleum it requires, leaving it particularly vulnerable to disruptions in global supplies. According to data from industry analysts, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be exaggerated. India imports the overwhelming majority of its crude oil. Around a significant portion of its petroleum shipments - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the shortfall could be partly compensated for by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a industry commentator. Based on vessel tracking and credible market sources, additional Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, narrowing India's effective deficit 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 on the water in the Indian Ocean and, with only India and China 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 a minority share domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint. Refineries can modify output to extract a bit more LPG, but even a limited rise would only increase domestic supply to about 47-50% of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. In short: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Refined product supply remains fairly adequate. LPG availability is the real variable to watch in the coming weeks." What may be heightening the panic on the ground is not just limited availability but patchy deliveries - and the common threat of hoarding. An industry representative claims opportunistic profiteering. "Retailers are taking advantage of the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being stockpiled and sold to the highest bidder." For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by international market dynamics. But in restaurants across the country, the more urgent issue is simple: how to get the next gas canister.
People wait in lines to buy fuel canisters for home cooking in an urban center. The repercussions of a military engagement being fought nearly 3,000km away are now impacting India's households. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran hinder energy deliveries through the vital shipping lane, stocks of cooking gas are shrinking across India, compelling restaurants to reduce offerings, shorten hours and in some cases shut down altogether. Social media is awash with video clips showing lines outside fuel suppliers across Indian cities and towns as concerns over fuel supplies grow. Restaurant kitchens appear the most affected: the sharpest squeeze is in restaurant kitchens. "The state of affairs is alarming. Kitchen fuel simply is unavailable," says a representative of the a major restaurant body. Most restaurants run either on business-grade gas tanks or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the lack of supply are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have closed - some in the capital, many in the southern states. People are adopting solid fuels and electronic appliances to keep food preparation going." City-Specific Fallout In a financial hub, local news say up to a fifth of hotels and restaurants are already fully or partly shut as cylinder availability dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some establishments say their gas stocks have shrunk with scarce alternatives. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and no food items - it is truly dismal. Businesses are going to suffer," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru. A restaurant in a southern city which has closed its doors due to a shortage of kitchen fuel. Restaurant owners are scrambling to adapt. "Food options are being cut, some are opening only for dinner and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that closures are fluctuating as supplies come and go. "Three restaurants in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a fluid situation." Retailers observe a increase in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are facing stockouts. Authority's View Yet, the authorities insists there is no shortage. India has more than 30 crore home fuel subscribers and spokespersons say cylinders are being prioritized to households as tensions from the Middle East conflict affect energy markets. About 60% of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about nine out of ten of those consignments pass through the key maritime route, the vital passage now largely blocked by the hostilities. The oil ministry says that it directed refineries to boost LPG output for home needs, enhancing domestic production by about a significant margin. Non-domestic supply is being reserved for essential sectors such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "A degree of anxious stocking and stockpiling has been triggered by false reports. The regular refill period for home fuel remains about under three days," says a ministry representative. Widening Concern Now the concern is moving beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a fuel station. "Anxiety is palpable," the text reads. India imports up to a vast majority of the petroleum it requires, leaving it particularly vulnerable to disruptions in global supplies. According to data from industry analysts, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be exaggerated. India imports the overwhelming majority of its crude oil. Around a significant portion of its petroleum shipments - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the shortfall could be partly compensated for by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a industry commentator. Based on vessel tracking and credible market sources, additional Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, narrowing India's effective deficit 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 on the water in the Indian Ocean and, with only India and China 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 a minority share domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint. Refineries can modify output to extract a bit more LPG, but even a limited rise would only increase domestic supply to about 47-50% of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. In short: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Refined product supply remains fairly adequate. LPG availability is the real variable to watch in the coming weeks." What may be heightening the panic on the ground is not just limited availability but patchy deliveries - and the common threat of hoarding. An industry representative claims opportunistic profiteering. "Retailers are taking advantage of the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being stockpiled and sold to the highest bidder." For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by international market dynamics. But in restaurants across the country, the more urgent issue is simple: how to get the next gas canister.