A surge in demand for in duction cooktops has swept across Goa as anx ieties over the West Asia crisis cast a shadow on LPG supplies, pushing households and busi nesses into a hurried shift away from gas. Across the State, long queues at gas agencies and uncertain refill time lines have unsettled rou tine cooking, prompting families to either pur chase new induction stoves or revive long-dis carded electric units. The scramble has spilled into repair workshops, where technicians report an unprecedented influx of faulty appliances being hauled in for urgent fixes. “Just last month, no one touched induction stoves,” said Ravi Naik, a veteran repair technician at a bus tling Mapusa workshop. “I had no clue about the panic until customers poured in, dragging out broken units stored away for years.” He described a stream of neglected appliances — “stuck ro tating carousels frozen mid-spin, faulty heating coils that wouldn’t warm and electrical functions dead from neglect” — as households rushed to make them usable again. “One man hauled in a full box — induction models, coil stoves, even antique electric ones — insist ing, ‘LPG’s gone; we need these now’!” “Cylinders were always plentiful, but now stocks are zero — no refills, no deliveries,” Naik added. Retailers say the shift has translated into a sharp spike in sales. “We have seen a four times spike in the average weekly sales of induction cooktops since the beginning of the ongoing tensions in the Middle East,” said a deal er of a home appliance brand.
In Panjim, the surge has been even steeper. “Induction stoves and electric kettle sales have increased over the last two days in Panjim. Sales has increased by 500%. People in large numbers are purchasing and there is clear panic buying. We are trying to get more stock from our vendors,” said an owner of a shop selling induction stoves. The rush has been further fuelled by a mix of delayed deliveries, booking glitches and rumours of dwindling LPG stocks. Commercial users, particularly restaurants and cater ers, are also feeling the strain as they struggle to secure regular LPG supplies, compounding pressure on an al ready stretched distribution system. In response, authori ties have invoked provisions of the Essential Commodities Act to prioritise domestic distribution and curb hoarding. With nearly 87% of Indian households dependent on LPG for cooking, even the perception of disruption has triggered precautionary buying. But the hurried transi tion carries its own risks. For now, Goa’s kitchens are adapting on the fly. Repair queues stretch late into the night, store shelves are being emptied as quickly as they are restocked and induction cooktops — once a backup — have become the frontline re sponse to a crisis unfolding far beyond the State’s borders.
