LPG crisis proving heavy on pockets and wallets during Ramadan and approaching Eid; One cylinder’s cost varies between Rs 1,600 and Rs 4,000

To address the rising demand for LPG across the country and to streamline the supply system, the government has implemented significant changes to the regulations governing gas connections.

LPG crisis, Iran war, Strait of Hormuz, Ramadan, Eid, LPG, cooking gas, Ramadan 2026, street food, Eid-ul-Fitr, Middle East, LPG shortage, Indane, Aadhaar-based e-KYC — (Representational image: AI generated)

New Delhi: LPG crisis is the in thing, arguably the most talked about fad among people, whether in their houses, or waiting outside a gas agency, in a queue to get their share of the cooking fuel. It’s connected to the Iran war, as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed for many days. We have been trying to get as much correct and verified information to you, our valuable readers, regarding the ground situation. Here we have picked up an account of Gulam Jeelani from Live Mint (www.livemint.com).

The author’s account

Gulam Jeelani says in the write-up: “At 10 pm on a Monday —the 27th night of Ramadan 2026—the narrow lanes and bylanes of Zakir Nagar are buzzing with activity as crowds spill out for late-night shopping and street food. Twinkling garlands, hanging fairy lights, and illuminated crescents strung between buildings add to the festive ambience ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr later this week.

Mohammad Salman, a middle-aged worker at one of the many roadside eateries, plates biryani while his staff serve customers seated inside the basement dining area.

“Bhai, aaj dukaan kholi hai, cylinder ka jugaad kar liya itne din baad (I opened shop today after many days. I finally managed to get an LPG cylinder,” says Salman, who managed to source a cylinder from a relative to run his eatery, which he says remained shut for several days in the middle of Ramadan—the peak business season for him and others like him.

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The LPG cylinder crisis had hit the annual Ramadan business in Zakir Nagar this year. The ongoing war in the Middle East triggered hoarding and black marketing of commercial cylinders.

“We used to get a cylinder at about Rs 1,800 before the war in Iran began. Today they are selling it anywhere between Rs 3,500 and Rs 4,000,” said Akeel Ahmad, who also runs a non-vegetarian eatery nearby.

Ramadan 2026 ends this week with Eid-ul-Fitr

Some shops shut down, while others cut back on non-vegetarian items from their menus. “Today we do not have korma on the menu. Maybe we will serve it close to Eid on Thursday or Friday,” said Israr Ahad, who works at a local shop which would, before the LPG crisis, sell biryani and other non-vegetarian cuisines.”

So, that was the information that we sourced from Live Mint (www.livemint.com), text attributed to Gulam Jeelani.

The moral of the story is that irrespective of the place, time, nature of food, and business hours, LPG shortage is getting heavy on the wallets as preparing food items and consuming them both are much costlier.

Government and gas agencies issue new numbers

Now, as we have been reporting about LPG shortage, to meet this crisis, Indane has issued new numbers for LPG cylinder booking. The company stated that customers can now book cylinders using these new numbers. The government and gas distributors have also introduced special incentives offering free gas to encourage households to switch to piped natural gas (PNG).

The new numbers are:

Missed Call Number: 8927225667

IVRS Number: 8391990070

It is important to note that the existing numbers will continue to work. Earlier, the all-India numbers for booking IOCL (Indane) gas cylinders include:

Missed Call Number: 8454955555

WhatsApp Number: 7588888824

You can also call 1800-2333-555. These services are available 24×7 and do not incur any additional charges.

You must do Aadhaar-based e-KYC

Also, to address the rising demand for LPG across the country and to streamline the supply system, the government has implemented significant changes to the regulations governing gas connections. It is now mandatory for all domestic LPG consumers to complete Aadhaar-based e-KYC. Under this new rule, identity verification via biometric or facial authentication is required. If a user fails to complete the e-KYC process, both their ability to book gas cylinders and their eligibility for subsidies could be adversely affected.

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The Times Of Bengal