Ludhiana: Residents and small business owners in this city are abandoning traditional gas cooking in favour of electric induction stoves as an escalating conflict in the Middle East chokes India’s energy supply lines.The shift in consumer behavior follows a wave of anxiety over the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). With imports disrupted by tensions near the Strait of Hormuz, the Indian government has prioritized domestic household supply, effectively freezing the distribution of commercial cylinders and leaving sectors like the local hospitality industry in a tailspin.Local electronics dealers report a dramatic spike in inquiries and sales over the past 72 hours. Retailers who once sold induction cooktops primarily to students or as secondary appliances are now seeing families purchase them as a primary insurance policy against empty gas tanks. “Earlier, it was an occasional sale. Now, households are coming in specifically because they are worried they won’t get their next LPG refill,” said Rishi Gupta, an appliance store owner in Ludhiana’s Division Number 3.The surge has outpaced supply, with some sales managers in Sector 32 reporting that vendors are unable to provide adequate stock to meet the “sudden and massive” demand.From Burners to CoilsThe anxiety is most acute among those who have been hit by a new 25-day mandatory cooling-off period between domestic LPG bookings — a measure introduced by the govt to curb hoarding. For commercial operators, the situation is even more dire. Many eateries, unable to secure the 19kg commercial cylinders now restricted under the Essential Commodities Act, are making the leap to electric cooking for the first time.Amarjit Singh, an eatery owner, confirmed he is purchasing induction cookers and traditional “coil-based” heaters to keep his kitchen operational. “LPG is simply not being made available for commercial cooking,” he said. Small-scale vendors and roadside dhaba owners, who lack the financial buffer of large hotels, are reportedly the most vulnerable to the supply halt.A Growing Energy DivideWhile District Food and Supplies officials maintain that domestic stocks remain stable, the reality on the ground is one of “speculative booking” and longer delivery windows. For many in Ludhiana, the “reserve cylinder” has moved from a convenience to a luxury, forcing a rapid — and potentially permanent — re-evaluation of the city’s dependence on Middle Eastern gas.
