Paratha lines are getting longer in Delhi. Gas cylinders that keep street kitchens running are suddenly scarce.

Stoves on the brink

Abhishekh Dixit, 47, has run Parawthe Wala in Old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk for years. He says the restaurant has relied on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders for generations to keep flatbreads hot and customers fed. But he’s now scrambling as deliveries dry up and costs climb.

Look, the food hasn’t gotten worse.

Dixit sat outside his shop and described the mess: suppliers have pushed prices up and black-market availability is unreliable. "Even in the black market, there's no certainty that I will get any gas or not," he said, adding that suppliers have raised prices by up to 5 percent. He’s started using electric stoves where he can and nudged menu prices higher to cover the extra expense.

Point is, it’s not just one stall. Millions of Indian households and small businesses still cook on LPG cylinders, and many of those cylinders are imported.

Why supplies are tight

The shortage traces back to turmoil in the Persian Gulf after the outbreak of direct fighting involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which interrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Before the conflict, more than 130 shipping vessels would transit the waterway every day; the new fight brought that flow to a near halt, cutting off a major artery for oil and fuels that feed Asia.

India sits near the top of LPG importers globally — the country is the world’s second-largest importer of liquefied petroleum gas after China — which left it exposed when the Gulf route tightened. Ship crews have also been affected: many seafarers stranded on tankers in the Persian Gulf are Indian nationals who’ve been unable to return home, adding to the logistical headaches.

Government officials in New Delhi tried to calm consumers at the start of March, saying supplies were adequate. But panic spread anyway. Long queues formed at gas depots and households rushed to stock up on cylinders, shrinking availability for restaurants and other small businesses that buy fuel through the informal market.

That informal market matters. Dixit said when official channels don’t deliver, vendors turn to local suppliers who sell cylinders at higher prices — if they can find them at all. For small eateries operating on thin margins, the extra cost is immediate and painful.

From parathas to prices

Basically, across Chandni Chowk, the ripple effect is visible. A few feet from Dixit’s restaurant sits a shop known for rabri, a sweetened condensed-milk dessert. Its third-generation owner, Utkarsh Sharma, spent an afternoon behind an almost empty counter not because business was slow but because he couldn’t get enough LPG cylinders to keep making sweets at scale.

Restaurants and dessert shops are adjusting in different ways: some are investing in electric burners and induction stoves, others are trimming portions or raising prices. Dixit, for one, said he’s upped the price of a paratha from 100 rupees to 110 rupees — roughly from $1.09 to $1.20 — to offset higher fuel bills.

That change is modest in absolute terms. But it shows how a squeeze on a single fuel can push costs along the chain — from the cylinder supplier to the kitchen to the consumer’s plate. For many vendors, every rupee matters.

Economic and political ripples

This situation highlights how global trade disruptions can hit local communities hard. Asian economies depend heavily on Gulf shipments for oil and refined products, and interruptions in shipping routes quickly translate into tighter supplies and higher prices on land.

But what does this mean outside of India’s markets? Disruptions to Gulf exports feed international energy markets. When flows through the Strait of Hormuz falter, traders factor in extra risk and shipping costs; those costs tend to show up in fuel prices and, in consumer bills in many countries.

That’s especially relevant for the United States because global energy markets are interconnected. U.S. Refining, shipping and consumer prices can be affected when a major exporting region sees disruptions. Higher global fuel costs can push up inflationary pressure in the U.S. Economy and increase expenses for U.S. Companies that rely on energy-intensive supply chains.

Politicians now have to balance securing energy supplies with keeping prices steady at home. New Delhi has scrambled to reassure people that supplies are available while trying to prevent panic buying that would make shortages worse. At the same time, the presence of Indian seafarers stuck on tankers highlights a humanitarian and diplomatic element that complicates any quick fix.

Choices on the ground

Vendors like Dixit have had to make quick bets. Some are investing in electric cooking equipment to reduce dependence on cylinders. Others are buying extra cylinders when they can or changing menus to items that require less fuel. Those measures take money and time.

For customers, the change is subtle but steady: a small price increase, a menu tweak, a slower service while a kitchen stretches fuel. For policymakers, the calculus is larger — keep imports flowing, negotiate shipping corridors, and soothe public fears without creating wasteful hoarding.

Short paragraphs can pack a punch better than longer ones.

This issue also has global implications. Shipping disruptions push policymakers to think about diversification — more suppliers, different routes, or building reserves — but those options are costly and slow to implement.

Back in Chandni Chowk, people still come for parathas. The food tastes the same. The difference now is the pressure on the people who cook it and the route that cylinder shipments must travel to keep street kitchens running.

Hang on though — this isn't just an Indian problem. It’s a reminder that even small goods and services depend on global flows that can be fragile when conflict hits strategic chokepoints.

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Dixit said he’s raised the price of a paratha from 100 rupees to 110 rupees amid tighter cylinder supplies.