Amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, there is a gas crisis looming in India. In such a situation, there is a fight among people regarding LPG gas cylinders. Meanwhile, a shocking revelation has now been made in Delhi regarding the connection of the pipeline.

Amid the LPG crisis, there has been a 200 percent increase in applications for Pipeline Natural Gas (PNG) connections within Delhi within two weeks. This number has increased from 700 to around 1500. This information has been given by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL).

What did the IGL official tell?

IGL distributes LPG and PNG gas in Delhi. One of its officials said that IGL used to receive around 700-800 applications for new PNG connections. In such a situation, in the last two weeks, amidst the chaos regarding LPG gas supply, there has been a huge increase in its applications.

The official further said that these days IGL is receiving around 1200 to 1500 applications for new PNG connections every day. In such a situation, the number of requests in the call center has also increased three times than before. Let us tell you that the government is also encouraging people to connect with PNG.

IGL launches scheme for PNG

It was told by IGL that customers who apply for a new PNG connection before March 31 will be given a discount of Rs 500 in their first bill. Also, this scheme will also be applicable on those customers who will start their connection before March 31.

Let us tell you that 19 lakh families, 4500 commercial establishments and about 2000 industrial units in Delhi have Pipeline Natural Gas (PNG) connections. Explaining the process, the officer said that verification is done immediately after the application is received.

For this, area, place and various factors are kept in mind. It takes 15 to 30 days to establish a new connection. It may also be different. IGL has appealed to the people to avoid spreading rumors and panic.

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Today (March 14) is the 15th day of the war between America, Israel and Iran, which started on February 28. The fire of war has not spread only to these countries but its heat is being felt all over the world. India is also taking necessary steps to deal with this crisis. Especially when concerns are being raised regarding LPG supply due to the impact of movement in Iran’s Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the Shipping Ministry has given a big update regarding this.

‘Indian sailors completely safe’

Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Chief Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said, ‘All Indian sailors are completely safe in the Persian Gulf area, no untoward incident of any kind has happened with them in the last 24 hours.’ He told, ’24 Shivas of the Indian flag were present in the Persian Gulf, located west of the Strait of Hormuz.’

Two LPG ships will return to India

Sinha further said, ‘Two of these ships, Shivalik and Nanda, are LPG carriers. They emerged safely from the Strait of Hormuz last night (Friday)/this morning and are moving towards India. There is about 92,700 metric tons of LPG on both these ships. It will arrive at Mundra and Kandla ports on 16 and 17 March. Currently, there are 22 Indian ships left in the Persian Gulf, with 611 sailors on board.

Raids to stop black marketing and hoarding of LPG

At the same time, rapid raids are being conducted to stop black marketing and hoarding of LPG. Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said that raids are being conducted to curb black marketing and hoarding. Teams have been formed in many states, which are conducting surprise inspections.

FIR against 19 in UP, many in custody

Giving an example, he said that joint teams conducted raids in Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Surprise inspections were also conducted at about 1400 places in Uttar Pradesh. Around 20 FIRs have been registered, several persons have been detained and action is being taken against around 19 people. Similarly, raids have also been conducted in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and Karnataka.

‘Priority to domestic consumers’

Sharma said, ‘The government is making every possible effort to ensure that domestic consumers do not face any inconvenience. Priority has been given to domestic consumers and the supply of domestic LPG cylinders is being maintained accordingly. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has allowed industries, hotels, restaurants and other establishments in NCR, which includes Delhi, to temporarily use biomass and RDF pellets in place of natural gas for a month.

‘Increase in domestic LPG production’

He said, domestic production has been continuously increased. Initially it has been increased from 10 percent to 25 percent, then to 28 percent and now to 31 percent. It has also been clarified that in urban areas there is a minimum gap of 25 days between the last delivery and the next LPG booking, while in rural areas there is a maximum gap of 45 days. Consumers have been advised to keep this time limit in mind while booking.

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‘Commercial cylinder has been closed, no cylinder is available, only this last cylinder is left, after that I have run out of gas…going back to the old systems. Now we will get a coal furnace built and make tea on it…what to do, employment has to be done, it has to be done however you want, otherwise I would have made some other arrangement….’

When Shivpal, who runs a tea shop in Lucknow, speaks these lines, helplessness, pain, hope and fear are clearly heard in his voice, which is probably going to affect his employment in the future. He expressed his pain, his fear and his reality word by word without any change. Has the issue of commercial gas really become so serious, why are people scared and how suddenly this gas shortage has brought such havoc in their lives. To know the answers to these questions and to come face to face with the ground reality, it is necessary to examine the entire system closely.

#WATCH | Lucknow | Shivpal, the tea stall owner, says, “I am getting a coal furnace made here so that my business continues to operate. I am operating on the last cylinder today, and from tomorrow I will use this ‘bhatti’.” pic.twitter.com/zo0XzaV3EK

— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2026

Gas crisis looms due to US-Iran war

In fact, due to the war between US-Israel and Iran, the supply through the Strait of Hormuz has come to a standstill. This is the reason why the country is facing shortage of LPG. The supply of commercial gas has been banned in many states from Uttar Pradesh to Maharashtra and Rajasthan. In such a situation, the problems of small shopkeepers running hotels, restaurants and tea shops have also increased in many cities.

Government implemented ‘Essential Commodities Act 1955’

The central government has made preparations to deal with these challenges. ‘Essential Commodities Act 1955’ to stop hoarding of essential commodities including gas
Has been implemented. Gas is divided into four categories. The first category includes PNG supplied to homes and CNG used in vehicles, which will not have any impact. The second category includes fertilizer factories, where 70 percent gas will be provided. The third category includes big industries (tea factories and big industries) which will get about 80 percent of the gas requirement. Whereas in the fourth category, about 80 percent gas will be given to small factories, hotels and restaurants connected to the gas network of cities.

How dependent is India on LPG?

If we look at India’s dependence on LPG, about 33.15 million metric tons is consumed annually. About 67 percent of which is imported. About 80 to 90 percent of the total imports are imported from the Middle East.

PM Modi said- India is ready for this crisis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearly told the ministers in the cabinet meeting on Tuesday (March 10) to maintain public trust in the midst of global turmoil. Said, India has enough stock. The PM said that a supply chain management system has been prepared for this crisis, the minister should go and tell this among the people.

Necessary steps taken by the government

India has changed its strategy for supply of crude oil and gas. The government has given priority to commercial and domestic LPG supply. Understanding the problems of the restaurant association, instructions have been given to oil marketing companies to talk to them. A high-level committee has also been formed, which is monitoring the supplies. At the same time, domestic production has been increased and its dependence has been secured by using alternative sea routes for imports. According to government sources, LPG production has increased by 10 percent in the last two days.

The government has also said that there is no shortage of LPG, petrol and diesel in the country and people have been appealed to avoid rumours. If there is a problem somewhere, it could be due to a problem in the supply chain. It was said that all the petrol pumps and LPG distributors in the country have the same fuel available for supply as before. It was also said that domestic consumers will get priority. According to government sources, even before this crisis, 60 lakh gas cylinders were distributed daily and even now the same number of gas cylinders is being distributed every day.

Union Home Secretary spoke to DGP-Secretaries of the states

The Union Home Secretary talked to the DGPs and Secretaries of all the states regarding the prevailing situation and said that they should ensure that strict action is taken against hoarding and black marketing by any means.

There is news of shortage of LPG supply in cities like Punjab, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai. Oil marketing companies like HPCL, BPCL and Indian Oil have also warned their customers. These three government companies of the oil and gas sector are the largest providers of gas cylinders in India. In view of the current situation, the government has also declared the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to regulate the supply and distribution of petroleum and petroleum products. Under this, many strict steps have been taken such as stock limit has been fixed, hoarding is being controlled, compulsory sale of already existing stock, price control etc.

LPG Cylinder Shortage Live: The impact of the ongoing war between Iran, Israel and America and the resulting tension in the Middle East is now visible on a large scale in India. There is a huge shortage of LPG in the common man’s kitchen and restaurants. There are also interruptions in LPG supply due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. It has affected all the cities and hospitality sectors of the country.

What is the situation of metros?

In metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, hotels and restaurants are facing a lot of problems in getting commercial cylinders. The Restaurant Association says that the supply has become irregular for the last few days.

According to Mumbai Hotels and Restaurants Association (AHRA), about 20 percent of the hotels in the city have already been closed for some time due to non-availability of cooking gas. The association said, “If the situation continues like this, then almost half of the hotels in Mumbai may be closed in the coming days.” Meanwhile, the government has directed oil companies and refineries to increase the production of LPG to stabilize the supply.

Great crisis on LPG supply

According to TOI report, a dealer said that domestic 14.2 kg cylinder is still available, but the supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been completely stopped from Sunday. He further said, “This will create a crisis for those hotels and restaurants who buy these big cylinders.”

LPG dealers said that if the situation continues like this, hotels and other commercial places may be forced to buy domestic cylinders from the black market. This is not only illegal but also dangerous.” Another dealer appealed to the government and said that even if they want to increase the price, they should increase it, but continue to provide commercial cylinders.

NRAI issued advisory

The disruption in commercial LPG supply is affecting the functioning of restaurants. In view of this, the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has suggested adopting electric option to reduce dependence on gas. The advisory recommends the use of induction cooktops, electric grills, combi ovens and electric rice cookers in an effort to manage energy usage during supply disruptions.

NRAI has advised restaurants to adjust their operations amid disruption in the supply of commercial LPG cylinders. It has also been advised to make changes in the cooking schedule such as reducing gas usage during non-peak hours and consider sharing prepared items like gravies and sauces with nearby restaurants to manage the situation better.

effect on cremation furnaces

Meanwhile, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) issued a notice saying that following the instructions of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, gas-powered cremation furnaces will remain closed for some time. This decision has been taken because the ministry has given priority to propane and butane supply for domestic LPG consumption due to the crisis in the Middle East.

Mess and PG fees likely to increase

PG owners in cities like Hyderabad and Chennai say that they are getting only 25 percent of the cylinders as per requirement. Due to increase in costs, hostel operators can increase the mess fees by 10-15 percent.

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