Amid rising US‑Iran-Israel tensions and global energy concerns, Indians are reporting significant liquified petroleum gas (LPG) delivery delays and black marketing, a new LocalCircles survey showed on Friday. It highlighted that people are struggling to get cooking gas cylinders, with many forced to pay a premium price due to supply disruptions linked to the geopolitical instability around the affected Strait of Hormuz.
According to the survey, 57% of household consumers reported experiencing delays in receiving their LPG cylinders over the past week. The report also showed that black marketing of cylinders has become common. People surveyed reported that extra charges for cylinders range from Rs 100 to Rs 500 per cylinder in most areas.
“About 57% household consumers surveyed report experiencing LPG cylinder delays and black marketing in the last week. Nearly 36% household consumers surveyed, who are experiencing LPG black marketing in their area, say suppliers/middlemen are charging an extra amount of Rs 100-500 per cylinder,” it said.
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In some cases, especially in Delhi-NCR, consumers have reported paying between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,800 due to middlemen exploiting the shortage, according to the survey. The price of a 14.5 kg domestic LPG cylinder in Delhi stands at Rs 913 as of March 14.
The survey found that 53% of respondents were informed by LPG dealers about possible supply disruptions or delays in the coming days. The study was based on responses from over 57,000 household consumers across 309 districts in India.
The revelations come even as the government has directed oil marketing companies to prioritise LPG supply for domestic consumers.
Energy Crisis In Strait of Hormuz
The energy crisis comes as the Strait of Hormuz, responsible for 20% of global oil flow, has been blocked by Iran over the US-Israel strikes on Feb. 28. Since then, countries are scrambling to secure their energy supplies, fearing long-term, widespread disruption to the supply chain.
According to the government, India's 40% oil imports flow via this route and two-third of the cooking fuel supply comes from Gulf nations. This has put pressure on LPG supplies in India, but the government has assured that adequate stocks are available to meet domestic demand. In view of the situation, the government has also increased the minimum gap between two LPG refill bookings from 21 days to 25 days.
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“Earlier, LPG cylinders were usually delivered within 48–72 hours, but consumers in some cities are now waiting several days for refills,” the survey noted.
To mitigate the risks, the government is also expanding the supply of piped natural gas (PNG) for cooking. However, PNG connections currently reach only around 1.5 crore Indian households. In comparison, India has over 31 crore LPG connections, with domestic households accounting for nearly 60% of the country's total LPG consumption.
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