The Centre advised states and Union Territories to monitor LPG supplies daily, take strict action against violators, quell rumour-mongering and maintain law and order in the wake of speculation that the supply of cylinders has been hit due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Induction cooktops quickly went out of stock on online platforms as restrictions on the distribution of LPG cylinders to commercial establishments, including hotels and restaurants, sparked worries that household consumers might be next.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has set up a 24x7 control room with nodal officers from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry.
India consumes about 31.3 million tonnes of LPG annually. As much as 87 per cent of this is in the domestic sector, i.e., household kitchens, and the rest in commercial establishments such as hotels and restaurants. Of this total requirement, 62 per cent is met through imports.
The US-Israel attacks on Iran and Tehran's retaliation have shut the Strait of Hormuz, a key sea route through which India gets 85–90 per cent of its LPG imports from West Asian nations, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
VIDEO | Chennai: Murali N Bhatt, founder of Geetham Restaurant, said, "Since last Sunday, we have been facing several issues with the supply of materials, getting LPG gas. The supply has been irregular, and we don't know exactly when we might have to shut down because the… pic.twitter.com/II7TfGt5K8
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 12, 2026
The contrast between LPG and PNG reflects two different energy delivery architectures: one based on physical distribution cycles and another on continuous infrastructure flow. India's latest cooking-fuel disruption has revealed a structural asymmetry in how energy reaches households. As geopolitical tensions around the Strait of Hormuz disrupted LPG cargo movements in March 2026, the difference between India's cylinder-based LPG ecosystem and the piped natural gas (PNG) network became stark.
The queues outside LPG agencies were not merely a temporary logistics problem. They exposed a deeper vulnerability in India's cooking fuel architecture, rooted in import dependence, thin storage buffers and a complex distribution chain. By contrast, households connected to city gas distribution (CGD) pipelines experienced little disruption.
Petrol and diesel prices in India will remain stable for now despite global concerns over the Iran-US conflict, government sources told NDTV. The government has activated a fuel supply management chain programme to handle any crisis situation, the source added.
On the question of disruption to the Strait of Hormuz shipping route due to the ongoing conflict, the source said, "India has increased sourcing from non-Hormuz regions from 60 per cent earlier to 70 per cent now to reduce dependence on the Middle East."
Liquefied petroleum gas is used by over 33 crore households and lakhs of eateries, and it has suddenly become hard to get.
As a result, commercial kitchens in Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and other cities have switched to wood fires — in most cases using scrap lumber as fuel — to ensure at least some food is available. In some cases, the situation is so dire that restaurants have stopped serving certain items or swapped dishes that require more gas in favour of fast-food options.
Long queues of motorists were seen outside petrol stations across Tamil Nadu as panic buying took hold in several cities, triggered by a worsening shortage of commercial LPG.
Residents in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai reported waiting for over 45 minutes to fill their vehicle tanks, with some carrying additional containers despite regulations against the practice.
Nearly a quarter of the auto fleet in Chennai remained off the roads, while those still plying have reportedly hiked fares significantly to compensate for long waiting periods.
The hospitality sector remains the hardest hit. The Tamil Nadu Hotels Association has indicated that thousands of restaurants are badly affected. Many iconic establishments in the state capital have stopped serving fuel-intensive dishes like dosa and fried rice.
Amid the ongoing shortage in commercial LPG supplies, the Indian Railways has stepped in with operational guidance for onboard food services.
According to PTI, IRCTC has asked operators of food plazas, refreshment rooms and Jan Ahaars to switch to alternative arrangements to maintain seamless catering services for passengers. The instruction applies to both static kitchens and onboard pantry units, wherever feasible.
Demand for induction cooktops has increased across India due to worries about LPG cylinder availability in several cities. A check by NDTV on major online platforms revealed that many induction cooktops are now out of stock.
NDTV explored Amazon, Flipkart and Blinkit and found a sharp decline in the availability of induction cooktops.
On Blinkit, nearly all induction cooktop models were listed as out of stock. On Amazon, only a few brands such as Kent and Usha were available, while most other brands were unavailable. On Flipkart, Kent induction cooktops were largely available, but several other models showed out-of-stock status.
An advisory has also been issued by the PG Owners Welfare Association in Bengaluru, urging paying guest accommodation owners to adopt temporary gas conservation measures due to shortages in LPG and commercial gas supply. There are an estimated 15,000–25,000 PGs in Bengaluru.
After a core committee meeting earlier today, the association said disruptions in LPG supply had created shortages and recommended immediate steps to ensure uninterrupted food supply for PG residents.
