India's LPG Shortage: Hotels & Restaurants Struggle Amid West Asia Tensions

• LPG supply disruptions, stemming from geopolitical tensions in West Asia and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, are severely impacting hotels and restaurants across Indian cities.
• The Strait of Hormuz is vital for India's LPG imports, with 85-90% from West Asia passing through it, leading to shortages in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Chennai.
• Hospitality businesses, heavily reliant on commercial LPG, face potential shutdowns; Thane alone reports over 800 establishments at risk.
• Restaurants are adapting by modifying menus, prioritizing less gas-intensive dishes, and shifting to alternative cooking methods like coal/wood tandoors, induction, and firewood.
• The government invoked the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, to curb hoarding, while officials urge against panic bookings, which have significantly increased.