State-run oil marketing companies have raised the price of domestic cooking gas by ₹60 for a 14.2kg cylinder from Saturday, pushing rates to their highest level in about 30 months and marking the first direct impact of the Iran conflict on Indian households.
In Calcutta, households will now have to fork out ₹939 for an LPG cylinder compared with ₹879 earlier, making it the second such increase in this financial year. Prices of commercial LPG, used by business establishments such as hotels and restaurants, will now be priced at ₹1,990 for a 19kg cylinder against ₹1,875.50 earlier.
Oil companies also introduced a mandatory 21-day wait period for refill bookings to dissuade panic hoarding. “There was a 1.8 to 1.9 times surge in bookings seen yesterday. The cooling-off period was done to ensure supply chain stability. We want to discourage speculative booking to ensure genuine customers do not suffer,” an Indian Oil Corporation official said.
Stressing that there is no supply crunch, the official pointed out that the Centre had directed the prioritisation of domestic LPG supply. There are about 2.75 crore LPG consumers in Bengal and 33.3 crore in India.
The Centre has also invoked emergency powers to direct all refineries to prioritise LPG production in the wake of the Iran war, which has brought movement of ships in the Strait of Hormuz to a standstill for days.
India consumed 31.3 million tonnes (mt) of LPG in 2024-25, out of which only 12.8mt was produced domestically. Of the imported quantity, 85-90 per cent came from countries such as Saudi Arabia that rely on transit through Hormuz.
The LPG price hike came under criticism from the Opposition parties, which said the move would burden common people. Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee dubbed it “anti-people” and announced protests against the hike on Sunday.
