Desk Correspondent , Patna - The battle between the middle eastern countries has started to affect India in a way that people are struggling to acquire LPG, gas cylinders for commercial as well as for domestic purposes. This tragedy could result in shutting down of hotels and restaurants around the country, as the government has prioritized the supply to households first. The adverse effects of LPG scarcity has forced the individuals to stand in long queues to acquire gas cylinders as seen in cities like, Noida, Lucknow, Pune, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar and others.

From several states it has been reported that people are standing in long queues in big groups to buy LPG cylinders as they haven’t received it even after prior bookings. People have started to panic and  gather around the collection centers from almost 5 in the morning. Some vendors are also switching to electrical cooking to avoid the situation. India imports 62% of the annually consumed LPG (31.3 million tonnes). Out of this, 87% is used by households' kitchens. The Strait of Hormuz delivered 85-90% of LPG from Saudi Arabia, and since this pathway was obstructed by U.S. and Israel attacks on Iran and Tehran's retaliation the conditions are worsening.

Currently the government is trying to bring the situation under control by decreasing the flow of  petrochemicals and increasing the production of LPG gas cylinders by 10% to maximum capacity. Refiling and booking cycle has also been increased from 21 to 25 days, in order to prevent hoarding and black marketing.Importance is being given to domestic bookings and non domestic bookings like hospitals and educational institutions only. The Petroleum Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, has asked the public to be reassured that there won't be any shortage since he has secured supplies from 40 nations and is exploring imports from the US as well.