The ongoing conflict involving Iran is beginning to affect everyday life in India, with cooking-gas supplies tightening across several cities. Disruptions in energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz following strikes by United States and Israel have started to impact the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the country.
Reports suggest that restaurants and commercial kitchens are among the worst affected. Several eateries have been forced to cut down their menus, reduce operating hours or temporarily shut down due to shortages of commercial LPG cylinder
According to Manpreet Singh from the National Restaurant Association of India, the situation has become serious for the food service sector. The association represents nearly 500,000 restaurants across the country.
The situation is dire. Cooking gas simply isn’t available,” Singh said, adding that most restaurants rely on either commercial LPG cylinders or piped gas for their daily operations. As supplies tighten, many businesses are struggling to keep their kitchens running.
In several places, restaurants are turning to alternative cooking methods such as coal, firewood and electric cookers to continue operations. However, these alternatives are not always sufficient for large-scale cooking.
In Mumbai, reports indicate that up to one-fifth of hotels and restaurants have either fully or partially shut down as LPG supplies become scarce. Similar concerns have been raised in southern cities like Bengaluru and Chennai, where many eateries say their gas stocks are running low with little backup available.
Haroon Sait, who runs an artisan bakery and restaurant chain in Bengaluru, said the shortage has severely affected daily operations. “We can only make coffee and nothing else,” he said, adding that businesses could suffer major losses if the situation continues.
Meanwhile, videos circulating on social media show long queues outside cooking-gas distributors in several towns and cities, reflecting growing concern among consumers about the availability of LPG.
Supply disruption through Strait of Hormuz squeezes cooking-gas availability; eateries cut menus, some shut operations
