‘Is this not gross irresponsibility?’ – LPG crisis could have ...
India’sLPG shortage crisis could have been prevented if the government had prioritised energy security over the past two decades, former petroleum minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has said.’Drawing on his experience heading the petroleum ministry between 2004 and 2006, Aiyar wrote for The Indian Express, stating that at that time India imported around 70% of its oil and gas needs. Today, that figure has climbed close to 90%.
According to Aiyar, this neglect over the past two decades is the root cause of the current cooking gas crisis. He points out that the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023 and the subsequent conflict in Gaza should have served as a clear warning.
The 12-day war in June 2025 made it even more obvious that Iran could retaliate by shutting the Strait of Hormuz.
Given that India imports 60% of its LPG, the government should have started building larger stocks of cooking gas much earlier, he added.
“Is this not gross irresponsibility?,” he asks.
“Why did we not order LPG purchases on the high seas to stock up — albeit at higher prices but not so high as now? Why did we not pursue domestic and external energy security as the principal goal of the ministry over the last two decades, but especially after West Asia started tottering on the brink of war?,” Aiyar writes.
Iran-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline: Aiyar’s pursuit of overseas oil and gas fields
Aiyar explains that strengthening energy security required work on two fronts – boosting domestic production and securing supplies from abroad.
On the external front, Aiyar said he explored the possibility of bypassing the Strait of Hormuz by building alternative pipeline routes through Israel and from North Africa. His goal was to reduce India’s dependence on vulnerable chokepoints.
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One of Aiyar’s strongest pushes was for a natural gas pipeline from Iran through Pakistan to Rajasthan. He also supported bringing gas from Myanmar’s Sittwe field through Bangladesh to feed the petrochemical complex in Haldia, West Bengal.
Aiyar claims government did not take timely steps
On the domestic side, the government looked at building partnerships with research institutions around the world to access advanced drilling technology. He says that one of the biggest challenges was extracting oil and gas trapped beneath the Deccan Trap, a thick layer of volcanic rock that covers large parts of western and central India.
Exploration at sea was another priority. Aiyar says that India hoped to find offshore reserves similar to those at Bombay High, the country’s most important offshore oil discovery made in 1973. But drilling in the Arabian Sea required going much deeper, nearly 10,000 metres, compared with around 150 metres in the North Sea. This meant India would again need access to cutting-edge global technology. There was optimism because companies like ExxonMobil were already carrying out deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
None of these ambitious plans made much progress as Aiyar was “relieved” of his “temporary” charge of MoPNG within 20 months. He claims his successors “did not prioritise energy security” and instead concentrated on buying whatever oil and gas was easily available in the international market.
Too little, too late? Weak strategic reserves
India does maintain strategic reserves of crude oil. Aiyar points out that the country also has two LPG storage caverns at Visakhapatnam and Mangaluru. However, the total strategic stock of cooking gas is now revealed to be enough for only one or two days of consumption.
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Aiyar questions why the government did not buy LPG on the high seas and store it earlier, even if it meant paying a slightly higher price at the time. He believes this would have been far cheaper than the emergency measures being taken now.
“Is this not gross irresponsibility? Why did we not pursue domestic and external energy security as the principal goal of the ministry over the last two decades, but especially after West Asia started tottering on the brink of war?” Aiyar asks.
What should have been done?
Aiyar says that instead, action has come only after the crisis hit, such as The Essential Commodities Act has been invoked, refineries have been asked to increase LPG production, and the minister is now reaching out to over 40 countries for supplies. He concluded by saying, “Hardeep Puri is now closing the stable door — but long after the horse has fled.”
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