The widen ing conflict involving Iran and the growing spillover of hos tilities across the Middle East has begun to rattle global en ergy markets, with disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most critical oil and gas shipping routes — raising concerns about poten tial supply shocks. The uncertainty has triggered precautionary measures in sev eral countries, including India, where authorities have moved to prioritise fuel supplies amid fears that a prolonged disrup tion in the region could affect energy flows and prices. The Centre has issued a directive re stricting LPG supplied by public sector oil marketing compa nies exclusively to domestic consumers. Against this backdrop, the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has urged the Centre to reconsider the directive, warning that the move could severely affect the hospitality and food service sector in the state. In a representation to Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, the chamber said the order has triggered concern among hotels, restaurants, baker ies, small eateries, canteens and catering establishments that rely heavily on LPG for commercial cooking. The GCCI said the directive, issued as part of efforts to safeguard domestic LPG availability, could create serious difficulties for legitimate commercial users whose day-to day operations depend on the fuel.
The chamber pointed out that a large number of hospi tality establishments in Goa rely on LPG for cooking and food preparation, serving residents as well as tourists in a state where the hospitality industry is a key driver of the economy. Dhananjay, the manager of a bar and restaurant in Pan jim, said the development had come as a shock to business owners. “How are we going to run the business with this ban? The restaurant will have to shut down and we don’t know how long it will last. The government says the order will be lifted when the situation improves but in a war any thing can happen. Just look at the war in Ukraine. The staff will now all have to sit at home. This is really bad,” he said. Vanesa da Costa Campos, who runs a bakery in Panjim, said the order had left small entrepreneurs worried about their livelihoods. “How am I now going to run my house? Do they expect me to run my business with the connection at my residence? This is terrible news. I certainly hope the situation improves fast so that this ban is lifted,” she said. Some establishments say they may have to look at al ternatives if LPG supplies for commercial use remain un certain. Lyndon Furtado of Down the Road restaurant said the establishment would monitor the situation while explor ing ways to reduce reliance on LPG. “We may have to use ovens, tandoors or induction and see how we can use less gas,” he said. The GCCI said that while it understands the govern ment’s intention to ensure uninterrupted LPG supply for households, the directive could have unintended conse quences for businesses that depend on the fuel for daily operations. The chamber emphasised that the hospitality sector forms a crucial pillar of Goa’s economy, supporting tour ism, employment and thousands of small businesses. Re stricting LPG supply for commercial use, it warned, could disrupt operations in restaurants and smaller food estab lishments across the state. It also cautioned that businesses may be forced to shift to alternative fuels that could be less efficient, more ex pensive or environmentally less desirable. In its representation, the GCCI pointed out that the use of LPG in restaurants and hotels essentially serves the same purpose as domestic cooking — the preparation of food for consumption — though on a larger scale. The chamber has therefore urged the Centre to review or mod ify the directive and allow regulated LPG supply for legiti mate commercial cooking purposes without affecting pri ority supply meant for domestic consumers. Even as concerns grow among businesses, fuel authori ties have sought to reassure the public about the availabil ity of petroleum products. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) Public Relations Officer Raman Malik said there was no shortage of LPG stocks. “Everything is comfortable. We have sufficient stock. Two days back the minister of oil and gas had said that everything was fine. We are in control and the gov ernment will not have any problems,” he said. Ali Daruwala, a core committee member of the All India Petrol Dealers As sociation, also said India’s petroleum supply chain remains stable. “Our petrol and diesel supply is intact and we have enough stock to cater to citizens of this country for another two to three months. The good news is our supply chain from Russia is intact and the President of America has allowed us to continue buying fuel from Russia. It is now official that we can still continue purchas ing our oil needs from the Russian region,” Daruwala said. He added that Malaysia remains a major supplier of diesel to India, ensuring continued supply from the eastern side of the global energy market. “So basically from the eastern side of the world the supply that comes to our country is intact and we will not be facing any kind of shortage as far as petroleum needs are con cerned. LPG stocks are also enough for household use. Only for commercial use, a temporary closure has been put by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas,” he said. Daruwala urged citizens not to resort to panic buying. “Overall, I request citizens not to do any kind of panic buying or queue up at petrol pumps and create an artifi cial shortage,” he said
