AA Edit | LPG: Explore Alternatives

When Israel and Iran lob missiles at each other thousands of kilometres away in West Asia, its impact is felt in kitchens of homes and eateries across India. The LPG shortage created panic among people, promoting black-marketeering in gas. While emergency steps taken by the Central government have restored a semblance of order in the domestic LPG market, shortage still persists for commercial LPG.

For lakhs of people operating roadside eateries, mid-sized restaurants and clubs, commercial LPG is not merely a fuel but the backbone of daily operations. For people staying away from home in other cities, eateries are the only source of food. Disruptions in the supply of commercial LPG will throw their lives out of gear.

On March 21, the government announced a 20 per cent increase in the LPG quota allocated for commercial users. In the last two days, two LPG cargo ships — one from Russia and another from the United States — have arrived in Mangalore port with 1.26 lakh tonnes of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG).

However, the energy situation in India will not return to normalcy until hostilities in West Asia end and normal energy supply is restored, which may take several months. While diversifying sources, the government must explore alternative energy sources for commercial kitchens.

The government should nudge small businesses to shift to piped natural gas (PNG), electric induction systems, or biofuels, especially in urban clusters. While LPG cylinders contain propane and butane gas, PNG could be used to supply methane — a gas that can be mass produced by civic bodies to waste processing facilities and coal mines.

India needs to ramp up investment to build these facilities and rearrange distribution networks appropriately for the last-mile delivery. Unless India is self-sufficient in basic needs such as food, transport and health, it cannot become a global power.