Sunita and Madhu both work as domestic workers in an urban, upper-middle-class household in South Delhi. Both earn a modest income of INR 2,500 a month from that single employer. However, of late, their paths have diverged. For Madhu, whose household relies on a Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connection, the escalating war in West Asia is merely a headline. But for Sunita, it is a catastrophe. Her previous allocation of INR 850 for a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder has been obliterated by a black-market surge that now demands upwards of INR 3,000 per refill.<\/p>\n The sixth anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdown<\/a><\/strong> has arrived with a cruel sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu. The memories of shortages and job losses have been rekindled by the ongoing conflict in West Asia. While the geopolitical stakes of the conflict are debated in televised war rooms, the cost is being felt most acutely in the pockets of Delhi where its urban poor reside, and where the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz has turned a basic utility into a luxury.<\/p>\n Chief Minister of Delhi, Rekha Gupta, urged the citizens not to panic, assuring that there was no shortage of domestic or commercial LPG. Gupta has attempted to quell mounting panic with optimistic data. She shared<\/a><\/strong> that on April 3, 2026, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) delivered 1,26,379 cylinders, significantly exceeding the 1,11,504 bookings recorded. Based on this surplus, Gupta asserted that the backlog was clearing and that the average wait for a cylinder had been reduced to just four days.<\/p>\n However, interviews with residents and vendors reveal a massive disconnect between the Secretariat and the streets.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n However, interviews with residents and vendors reveal a massive disconnect between the Secretariat and the streets. Speaking to FII, a Hindustan Petroleum (HP) vendor in Kailash Colony clarified the reality behind these numbers. The system now mandates a 25-day gap between bookings to prevent hoarding. While the actual delivery occurs within 1 to 2 days of a successful booking, the mandatory waiting period effectively locks consumers out of the supply chain for nearly a month.<\/p>\n In Mayur Vihar, Brijesh, a middle-class resident and security guard, confirmed that his portal enforces this 25-day waiting period requirement. In Faridabad and South-West Delhi, residents report being told to place orders at least 20 days in advance just to stay in queue. This discrepancy suggests that while the administration\u2019s macro-data signals efficiency, the \u2018last-mile\u2019 experience for the ordinary citizen remains uncertain.<\/p>\n The crisis has forced small-scale entrepreneurs into desperate and costly \u2018innovations\u2019. At the ITO Gate, Akbar recently reopened his Sardar Ji Parathe Waale<\/em> stall after a week of forced closure by procuring a cylinder for INR 3,000 from a distributor. A tea vendor near Akbar\u2019s establishment carries his domestic cylinder to and fro every day since the crisis hit, dreading when his current stock will inevitably empty.<\/p>\n Sunita is considering buying an induction cooktop for INR 1,500, unaware that specialised magnetic cookware will mirror the inflated costs of LPG that she is trying to escape.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Similarly, Ram ji, a chole-kulche<\/em> vendor, has reverted to using kerosene, which is currently priced at INR 140 per litre. This is nearly double the regular price of INR 80. Meanwhile, Sunita is considering buying an induction cooktop for INR 1,500, unaware that specialised magnetic cookware will mirror the inflated costs of LPG that she is trying to escape.<\/p>\n Talking about electricity as an alternate source of clean energy for cooking, Dr Ashok Sreenivas, Senior Fellow at the Prayas Energy Group and policy consultant to the NITI Aayog, underlined the need for the power sector to become more reliable. He pointed out two issues, saying, \u2018If electricity is the main option, service has to become more reliable. Even as access to electricity has increased, power cuts remain regular, and the quality of service remains questionable.<\/em>\u2019 He further added, \u2018Cooking in most houses happens within a small band of time. If lots of people use the induction stove simultaneously, the power grid will be impacted.<\/em>\u2019<\/p>\n However, as Delhi tightens its LPG regulations, residents are finding ways to circumvent them. Arif, a chowmein vendor, said that he bypassed Delhi\u2019s regulations entirely by procuring a 5 kg cylinder for INR 2020 from Gurgaon. In Haryana, the same restrictions do not apply, allowing for the procurement of gas immediately upon payment. This is in stark contrast to the many hurdles to acquiring LPG in the capital.<\/p>\n India\u2019s energy architecture remains notoriously fragile. The country consumes roughly 31.3 million tonnes of LPG<\/strong><\/a> (as per official government data for FY 2024-25) annually, but produces only 12.8 million tonnes domestically. India relies on imports to meet nearly 60 per cent of its LPG requirement, with 90 per cent of these imports being routed through the Strait of Hormuz<\/a><\/strong>. With this primary maritime route now compromised, India faces a severe LPG crunch, and the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), which expanded LPG access to over 10.5 crore beneficiaries, now faces its greatest logistical test.<\/p>\n While the Centre hiked the price of non-subsidised LPG cylinders by INR 60<\/strong><\/a> in March, scarcity has given rise to a predatory black market. Further, India\u2019s dependence on imports isn\u2019t limited to LPG, but also extends to LNG, which is imported from West Asia and converted into PNG for piped transport.<\/p>\n The Delhi government maintains the situation is under control, noting that daily LPG bookings declined<\/a><\/strong> from a March peak of 2 lakhs to 1.1 lakhs in early April. However, the crisis has led the Centre to mandate that households with PNG connections surrender their LPG cylinders<\/a><\/strong>. Currently, only 1.5 crore households use PNG compared to the 32 crore households<\/a><\/strong> that utilise LPG for cooking. Dr Ashok Sreenivas says that while PNG and electricity are \u2018two obvious alternatives<\/em>\u2018, their employment remains context-specific. \u2018The risk is that if a lot of people shift to PNG, do we as a country have that much supply? Imported gas is also expensive, and this creates another bottleneck situation<\/em>,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n While refineries have been directed to produce LPG from crude oil, PMUY beneficiaries and small-scale eatery owners remain in precarity.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n While refineries have been directed to produce LPG from crude oil<\/a><\/strong>, PMUY beneficiaries and small-scale eatery owners remain in precarity. Dr Sreenivas observed that rural households face the harshest impact. \u2018Rural areas are more likely to have single-cylinder households, and the impact on them is greater given the need for immediate replacement<\/em>,\u2019 he noted. He further added that there is no direct data to confirm if PMUY beneficiaries in remote areas actually receive the mandated LPG cylinder home deliveries.<\/p>\n To curb the thriving illegal trade in LPG, the Delhi government banned the direct purchase of cylinders<\/a><\/strong> from godowns on April 5, 2026. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta advised residents not to visit gas agencies or storage points, insisting that \u2018booked cylinders are being delivered to homes within the stipulated time\u2019. As per media reports, she said<\/strong><\/a>, \u2018Avoid visiting LPG godowns. The administration is ensuring an uninterrupted LPG supply to people<\/em>.\u2019 She further added that \u2018strict action\u2019<\/em> will be taken against violators.\u00a0<\/p>\n This move, intended to stabilise supply, is one that Sunita fears will cut off her only immediate, if expensive, source of fuel. There is a profound lack of knowledge regarding the mechanism of online bookings among the migrant workforce; to acquire LPG, many remain dependent on direct purchases or black-market sales that are now being criminalised.<\/p>\n Regarding why the country is facing such an acute LPG crisis, Dr Sreenivas said, \u2018We need to diversify our sources in terms of procurement of LPG, and the government has asked refineries to produce more of LPG as its by-product.<\/em>\u2018 Dr Sreenivas was referring to the invocation of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, by the government in March 2026, according to which public and private refineries are directed to use propylene or butane streams for LPG production rather than for sale to the petrochemical sector. This LPG must be exclusively supplied to OMCs for domestic consumers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Distressed by the news of the \u2018godown ban\u2019, Sunita recently asked her husband, Tribhuvan, if it was time to relocate to their village in Bihar. Tribhuvan, who has witnessed the city\u2019s many crises, remains unfazed. \u2018We stayed in Delhi during the horrors of COVID<\/em>,\u2019 he reassured her. \u2018We will get through this, too.<\/em>\u2018 For Sunita and many such migrant workers of Delhi, the energy crisis is not merely a matter of global trade routes; it is a test of endurance against a system that claims to be working efficiently, while ground realities doesn\u2019t reflect that.<\/p>\n![\"LPG](\"https:\/\/feminisminindia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gettyimages-2222219507-612x612-1.jpg\")
The administration\u2019s claims <\/strong>versus lived experiences<\/h3>\n
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Ground realities faced by Delhi\u2019s working class<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The anatomy of a shortage<\/h3>\n
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The administration\u2019s clampdow<\/strong>n<\/h3>\n
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