Fuel shock reaches the chai stall: Delhi vendors hike tea prices as LPG costs surge amid West Asia crisis

The economic fallout of the escalating crisis in West Asia is beginning to reach everyday life in India, with rising LPG prices squeezing both households and small roadside businesses. In parts of Delhi and Noida, tea vendors say the surge in cooking gas costs has forced them to increase the price of a cup of chai.

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In Delhi, the price of a domestic LPG cylinder has climbed to ₹913, putting additional pressure on household budgets. Many families are now exploring alternatives such as induction cooktops to reduce their dependence on LPG.

The government has also tightened refill rules to prevent panic buying and manage supply pressures. Under the revised guidelines, consumers must now wait 25 days in cities and 45 days in villages before they can book a refill.

For small roadside businesses, however, shifting to electric cooking is rarely practical.

Across parts of Delhi and Noida, tea vendors say the surge in LPG prices and tightening supplies have forced them to raise prices. Many vendors traditionally relied on domestic cylinders sourced through informal channels because commercial cylinders are significantly more expensive.

A commercial LPG cylinder now costs nearly ₹1900, while a domestic cylinder is priced at ₹913. As supplies tightened, vendors say black-market prices for domestic cylinders have surged sharply, in some cases reaching ₹2500 to ₹4000.

One tea vendor described how sharply the cost has risen for small stall owners.

“The price of cylinders has doubled. Earlier we were getting them for around ₹1000, but now we have to buy them for nearly ₹2000. Because of that we had to increase the price of tea from ₹10 to ₹15 per cup,” the vendor told Business today TV.

Another vendor said the surge in prices has been even more extreme in some cases.

“Earlier we used to get cylinders for around ₹1000. Now sometimes we are forced to buy them for as much as ₹4000 depending on availability,” he said.

Vendors also say access to commercial cylinders has become more difficult in recent weeks. Roadside businesses earlier depended on cylinders purchased through informal supply channels, which typically cost around ₹1700–₹1800. According to vendors, that supply has now largely stopped.

With that option drying up, many stall owners have temporarily switched to domestic LPG connections to keep their stoves running.

But even that has become difficult as refill timelines stretch.

“Earlier we used to get a refill in around 21 days, but now the waiting period has increased to 25 days,” one vendor said.

To cope with the shortage, some stall owners are using multiple household connections while also buying cylinders from outside suppliers at significantly higher prices.

“Right now cylinders are selling anywhere between ₹2500 and ₹4000 depending on availability,” a vendor said.

The impact is already visible at neighbourhood tea stalls. A cup of cutting chai that earlier cost ₹10 is now commonly priced at ₹15.

Customers are also beginning to adjust their habits.

“Earlier I used to have two cups of tea a day. Now I usually settle for one because prices have gone up,” one customer said.

From tensions in the Strait of Hormuz to roadside tea stalls in Delhi and Noida, the economic effects of the West Asia crisis are increasingly filtering into everyday spending — sometimes in the form of a ₹5 increase in a cup of tea.