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India's LPG crisis deepens as Middle East conflict continues to disrupt supply
In Mumbai, some restaurants are using wood and coal-fired ‘sigdis’ (traditional Indian stove) to run their kitchens as they have not been able to get new cylinders for two weeks
- PUBLISHED: Mon 23 Mar 2026, 4:22 PM
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The liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) crisis in India is worsening, with people waiting in queues for days in some regions to get supplies. The country's exposure is acute because it is import-dependent, and the conflict in the Middle East is not showing any signs of resolution.
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There are measures, however, that are being put in place to mitigate the impact. Beginning Monday, March 23, the Indian government has allocated an additional 20 per cent of commercial LPG to the states, taking the total allocation to 50 per cent.
The additional LPG is to be given on priority to restaurants, hotels, industrial canteens, food processing and dairy units, subsidised canteens and outlets run by state governments or local bodies, community kitchens, and for migrant labourers availing of the 5 kg Free Trade LPG (FTL) scheme.
But despite these efforts, many states continue to face a major crisis. In the southern state of Kerala, for instance, thousands of restaurants are closed because of the LPG shortage.
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G. Jayapal, president of the Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA), representing around 60,000 registered hoteliers in Kerala, told the media on Monday that the state would allocate 20 per cent of the actual LPG consumption of hoteliers to restaurants and hotels, based on consumption data available in oil company databases.
State-run oil companies that provide LPG cylinders to consumers plan to sell only 10kg of LPG in the standard 14.2-kg domestic cylinders to tackle the crisis. A 14.2 kg cylinder usually lasts for a month and 10 days for the average consumer; the 10-kg refill could meet their needs for a month.
B. Vijayakumar, the Thiruvananthapuram district secretary of KHRA, told journalists that operating a hotel with just 20 per cent of LPG supply is an arduous task. “This will only allow hoteliers to function with restricted hours and limited menus,” he said.
Some restaurateurs are switching over to wood-fire hearth to tackle the LPG shortage. Muhammad Ali, who runs an eatery at Mavumvalavu in Thrissur, has switched to a wood-fired hearth to cope with the crisis. “Since my kitchen is located in a village, we can use firewood without major pollution concerns,” he told the local media.
“However, both migrant and local workers are unwilling to work in traditional kitchens as they are no longer accustomed to such conditions. As a result, I spend most of the day in the kitchen myself, which is not feasible for medium and large hotel owners in towns and cities.”
Even in Mumbai, some restaurateurs are turning to wood and coal-fired ‘sigdis’ (traditional Indian stove) to run their kitchens. Chirag Purohit, 33, in a northwest suburb, told reporters that cooking on ‘sigdis’ takes a lot of time and one cannot make Chinese dishes on wood or coal.
Vendors like him complain that they have not been able to get new cylinders for nearly a fortnight.
