Indians queue for LPG supplies as Iran crisis stokes fears of shortages

Indians queued up outside cooking gas distribution centres on Wednesday (March 11) amid fears of a shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), as concerns over energy supplies grow following the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

The anxiety follows Qatar’s decision last week to halt production after Iran launched strikes on Gulf countries following Israeli and U.S. attacks. Qatar is India’s biggest supplier of liquefied natural gas, and the disruption has raised alarms over potential spillover effects on domestic fuel availability.

Meanwhile, India's oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday that there was no shortage of LPG for household use, seeking to calm consumers after reports of panic buying.

To mitigate the crisis, India invoked emergency powers and directed refiners to maximise LPG production to prevent a shortage of the essential cooking fuel.

Production: Feline Lim/Reuters