MUMBAI: India ordered tighter controls over natural and cooking gas on Tuesday following import disruptions caused by the Middle East war, with restaurants warning it could spark widespread closures.
The world’s most populous nation is the fourth largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) buyer, and second-largest buyer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), such as that used for cooking — much of which is sourced from the Middle East.
“The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has resulted in the disruption of liquefied natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz,” the Ministry of Petroleum said in an order issued on Tuesday.
It said the new rules would “ensure equitable distribution and continued availability for priority sectors.”
The ministry ordered that LNG supplies be prioritized to supply households, transport sectors and production of LPG.
But other sectors, including fertilizer plants and tea industries, would receive 70 to 80 percent of consumption needs, “subject to operational availability.”
To meet the gap, gas supplied to petrochemical facilities and power plants would either be fully or partially curtailed.
Indian industries including several ceramics and tile firms have already said they are facing a cutback in gas supplies that could impact production.
Restaurants and hotels across India also warned of disruptions to operations, after a separate ministry order on Monday that prioritized domestic LPG supplies to households.
The National Restaurant Association of India warned that the government order had resulted in LPG suppliers “across the country” signalling that supplies to eateries would be stopped.
“The restaurant industry is predominantly dependent on commercial LPG for its operations,” it said in a statement. “Any disruption therein will lead to a catastrophic closure of majority of restaurants.”
PC Rao, head of a hotel industry association in the southern tech-city Bengaluru, said the “situation was dire.”
“Supply of gas has been hit and many of the smaller establishments only have one to two days of stock left,” Rao told AFP.
“The big ones probably have about 10 days worth remaining. Now, people will look to change or restrict their menus bearing in mind the situation.”
India tightens gas supplies over Mideast war, restaurants warn of closures
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India tightens gas supplies over Mideast war, restaurants warn of closures
Pull him off TV: Steve Bannon shuts down Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Trump’s former chief strategist called for the senator to be registered as a foreign agent
DUBAI: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon called on Tuesday for US Senator Lindsey Graham to be registered as a foreign agent of the Israeli government, escalating a growing conservative backlash against the senator’s vocal support for Israel.
Speaking on his podcast “War Room,” Bannon said Graham should be “pulled off of television,” adding: "This is dangerous… because you have guys like Lindsey Graham and dozens more that are doing the wrong thing.”
In a Fox News interview on Monday, Graham said: “To all the antisemites, to all the isolationists… I’m not with you, I’m with Israel, I will be with Israel to our dying day.”
Graham also urged Gulf Arab states to join military action against Iran. “What I want you to do in the Middle East, to our friends in Saudi Arabia and other places, [is] step forward and say, ‘this is my fight too, I join America, I’m publicly involved in bringing this regime down,’” he said.
In a post on X, Graham questioned the value of a US defense agreement with Saudi Arabia following the evacuation of the American embassy in Riyadh, writing: “Why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?”
Faisal Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News, responded to Graham’s comments in a Sky News interview, saying: “He flip flops so much, it’s actually entertaining.”
“On one hand, he says he will never set foot in Saudi Arabia. The next day, he’s here signing multimillion-dollar deals.”
“I don’t think anyone here takes him seriously,” Abbas added.
He warned Graham to be careful what he wished for: “Do you really want Saudi Arabia involved in this war putting our oil facilities at risk or do you want us stabilizing the energy markets?”
Graham pressed further, warning that inaction would carry a price. “Hopefully Gulf Cooperation Council countries will get more involved as this fight is in their backyard. If you are not willing to use your military now, when are you willing to use it?”
“Hopefully this changes soon. If not, consequences will follow.”
Graham's remarks drew sharp criticism from Bannon and others including podcast host Megyn Kelly.
She questioned on X whether Graham was overstepping his authority as a senator, writing: “When did Lindsay Graham become our president?”
Kelly also said Graham had threatened Lebanon, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab region, and Spain within a 24-hour period.
The problem with Graham “isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him,” she said in another post.
