As the ongoing LPG and oil crisis continues to affect daily life in India, Chandrasekar Cuttackam has urged companies to step up and act responsibly. The Vice President at Wells Fargo posted on LinkedIn.
Chandrasekar says one simple, immediate step companies can take is to allow employees to work from home whenever possible. Thousands of employees commute long distances every day, burning large amounts of fuel, he says.
If that commuting is reduced, the saved fuel can be redirected to more critical services such as healthcare, emergency response, logistics, and public transport, according to him.
Chandrasekar argues that enabling ‘work from home’ is not just a business decision right now. It is an act of corporate social responsibility (CSR) that can make a real difference during the crisis.
“In today’s context, enabling WFH is not just an operational decision; it is a responsible choice,” he wrote.
Several LinkedIn users reacted to his post.
“It would create impact only when employees also stick to WFH and not take advantage of the opportunity. Often we can see people doing other activities during office hours and anyway commute,” wrote one of them.
“As compared to other countries, India is less impacted, just hype created regarding shortage, the situation is not that bad yet. This will end within the next 10 to 20 days,” posted another user.
Another user wrote, “Well thought, but the government will lose revenue.”
To this, Chandrasekar agreed but he called it a “domino effect”. “All we could wish is for the conflict to come to a close and peace would prevail,” he replied.
“Better practiced than preached…” came from another user.
LPG shortage in India
India is facing a serious LPG supply crisis, triggered by the ongoing conflict between the US-Israel and Iran. India imports 62-67% of its LPG.
Nearly 85-90% of that comes through the Strait of Hormuz, now effectively blocked. Supplies have been badly hit. Major Gulf exporters like Iraq and Kuwait have also cut output.
The crisis is hitting the commercial sector hardest. In Mumbai, around 20% of eateries have already shut down, and up to 50-60% could close soon.
Restaurants in Bengaluru, Chennai and Delhi are cutting menus and reducing hours. Commercial 19-kg cylinder prices jumped by up to ₹144 on 7 March and crossed ₹1,880 in Delhi.
Household supplies are being protected, but prices rose by ₹60 on 7 March. Delhi prices reached ₹913.
The government has also extended the gap between refill bookings to prevent hoarding. Hospitals and schools remain priority sectors. But, industrial users in Gujarat have seen a 50% cut in gas allocation.
The Indian government has swung into action to tackle the LPG crisis. It has invoked the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to control distribution and prevent hoarding.
On the supply side, domestic refineries have been ordered to produce as much LPG as possible, resulting in a 10% jump in daily output.
India is also looking beyond the Gulf, reaching out to countries like Algeria, Australia, Canada, Norway and the US for alternative supplies.
Officials say India currently holds enough fuel reserves to last 25-30 days. A three-member committee of Oil Marketing Company executives has also been set up to handle supply complaints from the commercial sector.
