The closure of the Middle East airspace eventually trickled down to a lack of timely domestic flights in India. With my outgoing flight delayed further, I found myself in Mumbai on a long layover this Sunday. It was lunchtime, and I reached a famed eatery near the Bombay Gymkhana, a short walk away from the Hutatma Chowk Metro station. That is when the second trickle-down effect of the Iran–Israel-US war hit.
The waitstaff promptly gave me a trimmed-down menu and said, "LPG shortage, this is all we have". I was staring at around 10-15 items based on the same two to three base dishes, as opposed to the 70-plus eight-pager regular menu they usually had.
Fast forward to Monday, and Mumbai’s LPG woes—much like the rest of the country—continue. The government, however, is trying its best to salvage the situation. Maharashtra Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said that the supply of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) to commercial establishments in the state is being increased by 20 per cent from Monday.
Eateries like the one I was at, and major restaurants, were among the first casualties of the LPG crunch triggered by the tensions at the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran.
The hotel industry, hit by the blockade, demanded that the Centre and the state take action to ensure supply to commercial kitchens.
The hope is that more LPG tankers would reach India. But what will happen till then?
Union Minister for Coal and Mines, G Kishan Reddy, on Sunday said that India needs to explore gasification to reduce the nation’s reliance on imported energy security. At the Bharat Electricity Summit 2026, Reddy spoke about converting coal into Syngas—a component used to produce fuels, chemicals, fertilisers, and so on.
Using coal to make energy security seems to be a strategic priority move. However, what would be the sustainability implications of this?
Studies say that when coal is used to make Syngas, it is done so by steam methane reforming, which emits large quantities of greenhouse gases. This, according to them, makes the entire process no better than, and often worse than, conventional fossil gas pollution.
At least 20 per cent of eateries in Mumbai are closed, and many are working with limited capacity. Industry bodies such as AHAR (Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association) have already warned that if the current situation continues, more restaurants might close down.
As the Centre looks to explore more options and weigh their pros and cons in light of the Strait of Hormuz blockade, hotels and eateries in Mumbai will now have to stick with these trimmed-down menus for a while.