Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje on Wednesday appealed to the public not to panic over reports of commercial LPG shortages affecting hotels and restaurants, assuring that the Central government is working to mitigate the impact of global supply disruptions triggered by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Karandlaje said the government is 'closely monitoring' the situation and coordinating with relevant ministries to ensure businesses and citizens face minimal inconvenience. She acknowledged that hotel associations across Karnataka and other states had flagged concerns over the availability of commercial LPG cylinders, which are critical for restaurant operations.
"The government is committed to resolving the problems faced by hotels in Bengaluru and elsewhere. People should cooperate with us, keeping the global situation in mind," she said, as quoted by ANI.
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Karandlaje said that that multiple associations had reached out to her through letters and calls to report shortages of commercial cylinders used by eateries and small food establishments. She attributed the constraints to disruptions in global petroleum supply chains, particularly those affecting countries like India that depend heavily on crude oil imports.
"A major geopolitical conflict is underway. India is not self-reliant in crude oil. 80–90% of our requirement comes from the Middle East," she said. The minister informed that she spoke to Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and discussed the difficulties being faced by hotels in Karnataka and other parts of the country.
As the widening Middle East conflict disrupted 30% of India's gas supply, the oil ministry, in a gazette notification, ordered available gas to be diverted from non-priority sectors to key users. India meets half of its 191 million standard cubic metres per day (mmscmd) of gas consumption through imports. With the stalling of tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz, about 60 mmscmd gas from the Middle East has been disrupted.
The remaining liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been reprioritised to meet 100% of demand of LPG production, CNG, and piped cooking gas (PNG), 80% of commercial users of the fuel and 70% of fertiliser unit needs.
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