Yangthrongse C Sangtam
In the dusty lanes of small towns, long queues snake outside LPG distribution centers as the ongoing Middle East conflict, sparked by US-Israel strikes on Iran in late February 2026, disrupts shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Homemakers balance empty cylinders on their hips, standing patiently for hours while exchanging weary glances. “We used to get our refill in two days, now it’s taking over a week,” sighs one woman, fanning herself with the edge of her saree. “Prices have jumped again, and black-market sellers are charging double. How do we cook for our families when gas itself has become a luxury? At this rate, we might have to rename our kitchens as ‘wood-fired museums’!” Similar scenes unfold across rural areas, where imported LPG, heavily reliant on Gulf routes, has seen supplies tighten sharply, forcing households to ration meals or turn to costlier (and smokier) alternatives like firewood.
Further along the line, a small shopkeeper shakes his head while waiting with his commercial cylinder. “My tea stall runs on LPG-now the commercial rates have shot up, and supply is erratic. The war thousands of kilometers away is emptying our pockets here,” he laments with a wry chuckle. “Who knew a conflict in the desert could turn our morning chai into an expensive luxury? Next, they’ll blame the Hormuz blockade for my samosas going cold!” Government assurances of stable domestic stocks and increased refinery output offer little comfort to these daily-wage families already grappling with inflation. As prices for a standard domestic cylinder hover around thousand in many areas and black-marketing thrives, the human cost of the distant conflict is etched in these patient yet weary faces-reminding that global tensions inevitably trickle down to the kitchens and livelihoods of ordinary people in the heartland, one delayed refill at a time.
Yangthrongse C Sangtam
(The views expressed are those of the writer and not of the newspaper.)