A government order prioritising domestic LPG has choked commercial supply, pushing half a million eateries toward shutdown
The Iran-US conflict has found an unlikely casualty on Indian dinner tables. A March 5 government directive ordering public sector oil companies to prioritise domestic LPG supply triggered by West Asia’s energy disruptions has sharply curtailed commercial cooking gas deliveries to restaurants nationwide, prompting the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) to sound a red alert.
Representing roughly 500,000 restaurants across the country, NRAI has written to the Union petroleum ministry warning of “catastrophic closures” unless the Centre intervenes urgently.
The fallout is already visible. In Bengaluru, the Hotel and Restaurant Association announced closures from Tuesday following an abrupt supply halt. In Gurugram, establishments are scrambling for domestic cylinders and electric alternatives, with reserves lasting just days. In Pune, the crisis has even shuttered gas crematoriums, with propane and butane now redirected to household kitchens.
Adding to the pressure, the minimum booking period for domestic LPG refills has been extended from 21 to 25 days to curb hoarding signalling that supply constraints are expected to persist.
What began as a distant geopolitical conflict has quietly walked into India’s neighbourhood kitchens, and the fire is running low.
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