NEW DELHI/PATNA/MUMBAI/GUWAHATI/BHOPAL/CHANDIGARH:The war in West Asia has created an uncertain situation around the supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the country, with panic gripping domestic consumers, commercial entities going innovative to find alternative ways of cooking, profiteers trying to make a kill and the Centre and state governments issuing directives to bring normalcy.
Taking note of the difficult situation in the Strait of Hormuz, where oil tankers are not being able to cross without disruption, the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued an advisory to states and Union territories, directing them to ensure adequate security at LPG infrastructure and take strict action against hoarding and black marketing of cooking gas cylinders. The advisory was reiterated during a nearly two-hour virtual meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan with chief secretaries and director generals of police.
While common people are braving the LPG shortage throughout the country, in Maharashtra, it has hit the legislators, so much so that it has affected the budget session of the state assembly. The canteen that supplies food to MLAs and their staffers during the session has stopped serving food due to the shortage. BJP minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said that he could be served tea only after his staff procured an LPG cylinder from a known person. “After that, our cook prepared the tea and food. It was not a big issue, as we somehow managed it,” Patil said.
An MLA from rural Maharashtra said that the disruption in supply of gas to the canteen has become a problem for legislators. “We do not know how to survive in Mumbai. Therefore, we requested that the ongoing state Assembly session be wrapped up early so that they can go back to their own places and live comfortably,” said the MLA, requesting anonymity.
Congress leader Nana Patole visited the Mumbai port and said that over 1,500 containers had been stuck there for the last two weeks. “This has resulted in a big fall in the prices of fruits and vegetables. Most of these containers filled with fruits and vegetables were scheduled to go to the UAE and other countries in the region. This will hit the farmers badly,” he said.
In Bihar, the administration said that it was monitoring the situation. Patna district magistrate Thiyagrajan S M said that the LPG domestic gas consumers faced no problems, as any laxity, negligence or irregularity would not be tolerated. He added that instructions have been issued to immediately register FIRs and arrest guilty agencies upon receipt of complaints regarding black marketing, hoarding or sales at inflated prices.
The Patna administration has issued a helpline number to aid domestic consumers.Acting upon the instructions, the Bihar police acted against the delivery person of a gas agency on Thursday. The police registered an FIR against one Mukesh, following a complaint by an LPG consumer in the Patna Sadar sub-division, who booked an LPG cylinder and received a message that it had been delivered. However, the consumers said that the cylinder was never delivered.
The authorities conducted a surprise inspection at a gas agency in Phulwarisharif, which is of the state capital, and found the operator to be missing. The district magistrate ordered sealing of the office of the agency, and the police filed an FIR.
The Patna administration has formed 28 teams for conducting raids at the block level for the resolution of consumers’ complaints and preventing hoarding. The block supply officers, block supply inspectors and assistant district supply officers have been deployed as nodal officers in these teams.
Madhya Pradesh traders are looking to benefit from the West Asia crisis and the subsequent shortage of LPG supply. Small traders have started offering refills on mini-LPG gas cylinders in Bhopal and Sagar. Teams of the Bhopal and Sagar district administrations and the state government’s Food and Civil Supplies Department raided two such spots in Ashoka Garden and Gandhi Nagar areas of the city, where unscrupulous elements hoarded cooking gas cylinders. They seized 47 cylinders from Bhopal and Sagar districts in the last two days.
The raiding teams found that some of the accused were using these cylinders to refill small cylinders and making a profit of up to `600 per big cylinder. A senior police official said, “We are investigating the intermediary channels, including cooking gas agencies, which are behind the supply of the LPG cylinders to these refillers of mini cylinders. Cases will soon be registered via the district administration in both the seizures under the Essential Services Act, 1955.”
While other states are feeling the crunch badly, Assam seems to be sitting out oddly. A tea buyers’ body has said that the unrest in West Asia could boost demand in the instant beverage segment, including tea bags. The Guwahati Tea Auction Buyers’ Association said, “A potential shortage of LPG supply in parts of India could create an unexpected opportunity for the country’s instant beverage segment, with industry observers expecting a rise in demand for instant tea products.”
India consumes more than one billion cups of tea every day, making it one of the largest tea-consuming nations. However, a disruption in the cooking fuel, especially LPG, can quickly influence how tea is prepared across homes, offices and several commercial establishments.
Industry observers note that even a small change in preparation method can significantly increase demand for instant tea and tea premix products, a segment that currently accounts for only a small share of India’s overall tea market. Dinesh Bihani, secretary of the association, said, “Preparing traditional Indian chai requires a gas stove, milk and around five to 10 minutes of preparation time. In situations where LPG becomes scarce or expensive, many users are shifting toward alternatives, such as electric kettles, hot-water dispensers and tea vending machines, which require only hot water.”
According to him, large institutional consumers—such as offices, factories, hospitals, transport hubs and catering services—are usually the first to adapt to fuel disruptions. Instead of preparing tea on gas stoves, many adopt vending machines that use premix sachets. “A single vending machine in an office can serve 200–500 cups of tea per day, which means that large institutions can shift thousands of cups daily from traditional preparation to premix-based systems,” Bihani said.
However, there is a downside as well, as tea from Assam’s gardens is in high demand in West Asian countries, including in Iran. An estimated 41 per cent of India’s total tea consignments are shipped abroad through the Strait of Hormuz. The current disruption in this region can hurt exports, including from Assam.
In Punjab and its neighbouring state Himachal Pradesh, the acute shortage of commercial LPG cylinders has forced the hotel industry to cut down on their trademark elaborate menus and provide “limited menu” options. The hoteliers are also trying to shift to traditional cooking, involving wood-based ovens. Many in the hotel industry have warned that if the situation persists, the sector could see layoffs soon. In Punjab, the concept of big, fat weddings is facing a crisis, with wedding planners considering simplified buffet menus.
Talking with this newspaper, Gajindra Chand Thakur, president of the Federation of Himachal Hotels and Restaurant Association, said that there are around 7,500 hotels in the hill state, which have decided to offer a limited menu with only two to three items and a non-vegetarian dish due to the shortage of the commercial LPG cylinders.
Ashwani Bamba, president of the Dharamshala Hotel Association, said that the situation has become critical. “If the situation continues to be like this for a few more days, we would have no option but to close out hotels and restaurants and lay off the staff. We are considering changing the menus and shifting to Chinese cuisine, as it takes less fuel to cook compared to the Indian cuisine. Dal and roti take much more energy to cook; thus, gas is wasted. We are also planning to put bakery items, like cake and sandwiches, on the menu,” he said.
In Punjab, as marriage venues start opting for austerity measures, pre-booking of venues is off the shelf, and “conditional bookings” are being offered, which do not include elaborate menus, which used to be the signature features of Punjabi weddings. The marriage venues have removed snacks from the offerings; simplified buffet menus; stopped live counters at weddings, which have labour-intensive live cooking stations; and have restricted function hours.
Punjab has approximately 16,000 hotels and restaurants and nearly 6,000 marriage venues. Satish Arora, president of the Hotel Restaurant and Resort Association of Punjab, said, “Our industry is on the verge of shutdown. A commercial cylinder that usually costs around `1,700 is now being sold for up to `3,000 in the black market. We have started making alternate arrangements by switching to diesel burners and wood-based tandoors.”
Consumers worry in states
1. Maharashtra farmers are facing a drop in prices. About 1,500 containers of vegetables & fruits, which are meant for West Asia, are stuck at the Mumbai port for the last two weeks, said Congress leader Nana Patole.
2. MP govt has seized 47 gas cylinders from hoarders in Bhopal and Sagar districts in the last two days. They are accused of refilling mini-cylinders and booked an illegal profit.
3. Assam tea growers may see profit. India consumes more than a billion cups of tea daily. Even if a fraction shifts to tea bags or pre-mix, it is likely to benefit, says Guwahati Tea Auction Buyers’ Association.
4. In Bihar, the admin said that it was monitoring the situation. Patna district magistrate said directions have been issued to register FIRs and arrest guilty who practice hoarding.
Big, fat Punjabi weddings go small and thin
Due to non-availability of commercial LPG cylinders, marriage venues in Punjab have opted for austerity measures. Menu list has been shortened, elaborately cooked dishes have gone off the stalls and live cooking counters have been stopped. Satish Arora, president of the Hotel Restaurant and Resort Association of Punjab, said, “Our industry is on the verge of shutdown. A commercial cylinder that usually costs around `1,700 is now being sold for up to `3,000.”