Mumbai bears brunt of Iran-US war as chaos over delayed LPG gas supply spills over; cylinder bookings skyrocket

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• LPG supply disruption causes delays for Mumbai residents
• Commercial LPG cylinders unavailable since Sunday
• Hotels and restaurants face crisis due to halted LPG supply

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A disruption in LPG supply has triggered widespread concern across Mumbai, with residents facing delays in receiving cooking gas refills and commercial users warning of an emerging crisis.

According to a report by the Times of India, dealers say the shortage has surfaced as a ripple effect of the recent US and Israel attack on Iran, which has affected supply chains. As a result, the waiting period for domestic LPG cylinder refills has stretched from two to eight days after booking.

The situation has been more difficult for commercial users. According to LPG dealers, the supply of commercial cylinders used by hotels and restaurants has stopped entirely since Sunday, raising fears that eateries could soon struggle to operate.

The disruption has also triggered panic among households. Dealers reported a sharp rise in bookings since Monday morning as families rushed to secure refills.

Many households that keep two cylinders made their way to local dealer outlets to place refill requests.

"Moreover, a new notification from the Union ministry of petroleum stipulates that domestic consumers can only book a new refill 25 days after receiving one cylinder," said a suburban dealer.

"It is not like last week when you could book the next cylinder within a day or two."

He added, "At least the domestic 14.2 kg cylinder is still available. The supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been completely halted since Sunday. This will lead to a crisis for hotels and restaurants who purchase these large cylinders."

Dealers warned that the lack of commercial supply could push hotels and other establishments to turn to alternative and illegal sources.

"This is illegal as well as dangerous," they said.

One dealer said, "I suggest the govt charge hotels a higher price if it has to, but continue providing commercial cylinders. In any case prices of both commercial as well as domestic cylinders was increased by Rs 115 and Rs 60 respectively on Sunday."

In the suburb of Andheri, several anxious residents were seen visiting LPG dealer outlets on Monday to place bookings. Some families were even considering transporting cylinders themselves amid fears that stocks may run out.