Hotels, restaurants across India hit with LPG shortage

Shrinking menus, cold stoves and dining out suddenly not so easy. The West Asia conflict is knocking at restaurant doors across India with the looming threat of commercial LPG shortage forcing eateries to innovate — quickly — or face a shutdown.
As the expanding war disrupts global fuel lifelines, including India’s LPG supplies, the government has prioritised domestic cooking gas supply to households, leading to a supply crunch for hotels and restaurants which use commercial LPG.
The prospect of shuttered kitchens, lost jobs and many people dependent on outside food forced to think about where they will get their next meal is very real, said industry insiders as they prepare to tackle the crisis. Closure could be just days away for many establishments.
Desperate make do measures include low fuel menus, food that can be cooked on electrical appliances and limiting sales of everyday staples like pooris, dosas, tea and coffee. 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, as much as 62 per cent is met through imports. The US-Israel’s attacks on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation have shut the Strait of Hormuz, a key sea route through which India gets its LPG imports.
Meanwhile, a top government source said a panel of oil company executives will review complaints of shortage of commercial LPG cylinders in different cities and make fuel available to meet genuine requirements of hotels and restaurants.