Panic buying, woodfire switch: How LPG crisis fear has hit the states

The conflict in the Middle East has led to shortage of LPG for domestic and commercial use in the country. The Federal takes you to the states and union territories across the nation to see how the situation is unfolding.

Northeast: 'No shortage of LPG cylinders'

Indian Oil Corp, which supplies LPG cylinders to almost 85 per cent of the entire Northeast market, on Wednesday (March 11) said it has enough stock to provide the cooking fuel in the region during the coming period on the backdrop of the war in West Asia.

A senior official of the IOC told PTI that all its nine bottling plants in the Northeast are producing LPG cylinders at their maximum capacities and distributing the same as per the government's directives. “However, the output capacity may drop in the long term if the crisis continues," she added.

Also Read: Beyond oil and LPG: How Iran conflict is wrecking multiple sectors

Karnataka: 'Domestic LPG supply assured'

Karnataka Minister for Food and Civil Supplies KH Muniyappa on Wednesday said there is no need for any concern over LPG supplies, as oil companies have assured that every family will receive at least one domestic cylinder a month.

However, panic enquiries for domestic LPG cylinders have risen at several gas agencies in Bengaluru in the past few days amid concerns over supply disruptions, though dealers said on Wednesday that stocks are adequate as of now.

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An LPG dealer, on condition of anonymity, said commercial cylinders are not available and hotels are bearing the brunt, with the Bangalore Hotel Association saying that the hotels and restaurants in the city will be forced to shut down.

Temples in Karnataka have started preparations to stock wooden logs fearing that the LPG shortage could hamper the ‘prasada’ preparation and distributions to the devotees.

Akhila Karnataka Hindu Temple Archakas Federation (AKHTAF) president M S Venkatachalaiah said, “Our temples have started preparing to store wooden logs to prepare Prasada though currently we don’t have a problem, at least for a week.”

MP: Chaat vendors in Indore switch to electric cooking

Amid disruptions in the supply of cooking gas caused by escalating tensions in West Asia, shopkeepers at Indore’s popular 56 Chaat Chowpatty have begun using electric appliances to keep their businesses running. Vendors say they are determined not to let the LPG shortage affect customers and will consider adopting alternative energy sources, like using solar-powered appliances, if the situation persists.

Gunjan Sharma, president of the 56 Dukan Chaat Chowpatty Traders Association, told PTI on Wednesday that the supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been halted.

UP Police recover over 500 stolen LPG cylinders

Police have arrested seven men after an encounter and recovered more than 500 LPG cylinders stolen during the Holi festivities in Jhansi, an official said on Wednesday. The police also recovered Rs 11.10 lakh in cash and Rs 83,820 believed to be proceeds from the sale of cylinders, from their possession, he said.

According to the police, the truck driver, Rajkumar, had parked the vehicle loaded with 524 filled LPG cylinders outside the Bharat Petroleum depot in the Sipri Bazar area on March 2 before leaving for his home to celebrate Holi. When he returned on March 6, the truck was missing, following which the owner, Neeraj Agrawal, lodged a complaint.

Also Read: LPG shortage: Consumers turn to induction stoves as backup

The accused had allegedly struck a deal worth Rs 13 lakh with a gas agency in Samthar to sell the cylinders. Acting on the information provided by the arrested accused, police recovered all 524 stolen cylinders, including 389 filled and 135 empty ones, from the gas agency.

In Lakhimpur Kheri district, reports of LPG supply being impacted due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East triggered panic among customers with many rushing to gas agency distribution centres to collect cylinders on Tuesday. District officials, however, ruled out any shortage of LPG cylinders and said the supply remained adequate.

District Supply Officer Anjani Kumar Singh termed the situation as "false panic" among domestic consumers and urged them to remain patient.

Bengal: Long queues outside gas agency offices

Long queues at cooking gas agency offices and at LPG dispensation centres for autos became a common sight in Kolkata and several other places in West Bengal on Wednesday. Petroleum Dealers' Association officials, however, said that petrol and diesel availability was normal at all filling stations across the state.

National Restaurant Association of India's Kolkata chapter head Piyush Kankaria said the supply of cooking gas to eateries across the city has been completely stopped from Wednesday. Owners of roadside food joints in the business districts of Kolkata and Salt Lake claimed they were having to buy cooking gas cylinders at nearly double the retail price.

Rajasthan: Shortage begins to hit businesses

Disruption in the supply of commercial LPG cylinders has begun to hit businesses across Rajasthan, where hotels, restaurants, factories, wedding caterers and tourism establishments have started facing difficulties in running daily operations.

Domestic and commercial gas customers were seen rushing to gas agencies to secure cylinders. There is no fresh booking of commercial cylinders, which has hit various industries.

The wedding industry is also worried as the disruption comes during an active wedding season. Ravi Jindal, president of Rajasthan Tent Dealers Association, said that the shortage could increase wedding expenses. Nearly four lakh weddings are held in Rajasthan every year, and around 30,000 are expected in April alone, Jindal said.

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Tourism sector stakeholders are also watching the situation closely. In destinations like Jaipur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, where hotels and restaurants serve a large number of visitors, the limited supply of commercial cylinders has raised concerns among business owners.

"If restaurants shut and tourists cannot find food, tourism will also suffer," Rajesh Agrawal, a hotel owner in Udaipur, said. He said that the crisis will not affect just one industry. "If businesses slow down, money circulation in the market will drop, and the wider economy will feel the impact," Agrawal said.

IRCTC asks units to use microwave, induction plates

Amid concerns over possible LPG shortage, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has directed catering units at railway stations in its western zone to shift to microwave and induction plates and maintain stocks of ready-to-eat food items for passengers. In a communication issued on March 10, IRCTC asked operators of food plazas, refreshment rooms and ‘Jan Ahaars’ to switch to alternative arrangements to maintain seamless catering services for travelling passengers.

The catering units have also been asked to maintain sufficient inventory of ready-to-eat food items in addition to standard packaged and cooked food items to meet passenger demand.

Bihar: ‘Efforts to ensure adequate supply’

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Wednesday said efforts were being made by the Centre and the state government to ensure adequate supply of LPG cylinders to the people. The government has also written to district officials to ensure that there is no shortage of LPG cylinders and hoarding or black marketing is strictly checked.

Meanwhile, people queued up at cooking gas agency outlets in several districts, including Patna, Kaimur, Motihari and Darbhanga, to buy LPG cylinders, while distributors said that customers have turned up in large numbers due to panic over short supply rumours. On the other hand, no disruption of LPG supply is reported in several districts like Nawada.

Kerala: Crisis paralyses hotel operations

Several hotels and restaurants have shut down while many others are on the verge of closure in Kerala. The shortage of commercial cooking gas has worsened over the past few days, disrupting kitchen operations in many eateries across the state.

A hotelier in Kochi said switching to traditional firewood stoves was not possible as many of them had dismantled such facilities recently following lapses pointed out by Food Safety Department officials.

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Many hotel owners compared the present situation to the covid-19 crisis that hit the sector a few years ago, describing LPG cylinders as the "oxygen" of their kitchens. Razak NMR, state general secretary of the KHRA, said more than one lakh establishments operate in the food production, service and distribution sector in the state.

Hotels in Puducherry face risk of closure

Hotels in Puducherry are faced with the risk of closure following non-availability of commercial LPG cylinders as alternative measures may not help tide over the situation in this tourist hub, industry insiders said on Wednesday. A spokesperson of Hotels Association here told PTI that a "helpless situation" has emerged now and hoteliers have started adopting several stringent measures. He said that most of the hotels have either shifted to cooking food using fire wood or were minimizing the working hours to manage the situation, while also opting for electric cookers.

Incidentally, the price of firewood has shot up by three times, Rs 1000 per 'kundu' from the usual Rs 300. However, firewood can be used for cooking only south Indian food and not Chinese food, he said.

Hotel establishments are in "unenviable situation" and if the present crisis continues even for a day, they would be left with no choice than closing down, the spokesperson added.

One crore people to be unemployed: Kejriwal

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday slammed the Centre for 'heavy LPG shortage' affecting people across the country and questioned the prime minister's "support" for Israel and the US. The former Delhi chief minister said, "There is a chance that almost 1 crore people would be unemployed because of the power shortage situation emerging," he said.

As irregular LPG supplies hit kitchens across Delhi, many restaurants are staring at losses, with some fearing temporary closure after being left with stock for only a day or two.

Industry representatives say many eateries in the capital are trying to manage the situation through adjustments. However, if the disruption continues, smaller establishments may struggle to handle rising costs without affecting staff wages.

Uttarakhand readies firewood supply for businesses

Amid the disruption in gas supplies, the Uttarakhand government has begun preparations to provide firewood for commercial use if required. Uttarakhand Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal said the current situation resembles a crisis scenario. To address the situation, instructions have been issued to the Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation to ensure the availability of wood so that businesses can use it as an alternative fuel in case the gas shortage worsens.

Goa: Restaurants face closure threat

Goa’s tourism industry is grappling with an unexpected challenge as several restaurants fear closure due to concerns over the shortage of commercial cooking gas cylinders. Goa has more than 3,000 registered restaurants, which are the backbone of the beach state's tourism industry.

Also Read: Commercial LPG shortage hits restaurants across India; menus cut, shutdown fears rise

BJP MLA Michael Lobo, who represents the Calangute tourism belt in North Goa, claimed that if the shortage continues, 50 per cent of the restaurants in the coastal state would be closed by Wednesday evening. Goa Hotel and Restaurant Association president Gaurish Dhond told PTI that apart from restaurants, the beach shacks are also likely to be affected due to the shortage.

Section of TN hotels declare holiday

A section of hotels and restaurants operating in Chennai and parts of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday declared a holiday following the lack of commercial LPG supply to the establishments, employees said. Early morning customers who had come for tea and coffee expressed disappointment over the closure of the hotels and expressed hope that the Centre would take up measures to ease the situation.

On March 10, the hotel association had voiced concern over sustaining their businesses as the existing stock of commercial LPG "would be sufficient to run the outlet only for one or two days". Most of the restaurants have also cut the number of food items offered to customers and opted to prepare foods that require minimal usage of the commercial LPG cylinders.

"We have prepared idli, sambhar and vada. We have removed dosa varieties. In the afternoon and dinner, the menu will be variety rices only, since dosa and fried rice items require a continuous supply of LPG," a hotel owner in the famous East Coast Road said.

Telangana: Crisis forces restaurants back to wood and coal

Across Hyderabad, hotels and restaurants are doing something unthinkable — dusting off wood and coal stoves. Oil-heavy dishes like vada, dosa, and puri have vanished from menus across the city. In their place: steamed idlis, rice, dal, sambar, and rasam — dishes that consume less gas. Some PG hostels have resorted to serving boiled Maggi. Even roadside vendors, who once sold an array of breakfast staples, are now down to idlis alone — and worried about how long even that will last.

The scale of the crisis is significant. Hyderabad has roughly 25,000 registered hotels, 40,000 tea stalls and street food vendors, 2,000 messes, and PG hostels housing around 10 lakh residents. Nearly five lakh people are employed in the food service sector, with another five lakh gig workers dependent on platforms like Zomato and Swiggy — many of whom are now sitting idle as restaurants suspend online orders and serve only walk-in customers.

Also Read: Centre rejigs gas allocation priority amid Iran war; LPG, CNG, piped cooking gas on top

Peerla Gangireddy, owner of Sri Krishna Hotel, said that with the gas shortage, wood-fired stoves have become the only option — but even firewood is not available in sufficient quantities. "For years, we have been used to cooking on gas stoves. Can you suddenly ask someone to switch to a wood-fired stove overnight?" he asked. He also raised a practical concern: even if they wanted to cook on wood fires, where would they find firewood in a city like Hyderabad?

‘Himachal has adequate stock’

Himachal Pradesh presently has sufficient stock of petrol, diesel and domestic cooking gas (LPG), Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta said on Wednesday. Around 15,000 commercial LPG cylinders are currently available in the state, and these were being supplied to hotels, restaurants and other institutions as required, a statement issued here said.

Private and government hospitals, as well as educational institutions, were being provided with a full supply of commercial LPG cylinders on priority to ensure that essential services continue without disruption. The Chief Secretary urged the general public, particularly domestic LPG consumers, not to panic or make unnecessary bookings based on misleading information circulating on social media.

No need for panic: Oil Ministry

A senior Oil Ministry official on Wednesday said that there is no need for panic booking of LPG cylinders, and that the normal delivery cycle of two-and-a-half days is being maintained. India's crude oil supplies remain secure, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, told reporters at a briefing.

Crude oil is being sourced from non-Strait of Hormuz routes, she said.

(With agency inputs)