Your LPG Is ₹60 More Expensive Today. Petrol Is Next. Here's the Full Picture.
NEW DELHI, March 9, 2026 — Nobody announced it on primetime. No press conference. No minister stood at a podium.
At midnight on March 7 — while 132,000 people in Ahmedabad were still singing after India's World Cup win — Indian Oil quietly updated its price list. The 14.2 kg LPG cylinder that cost ₹853 in Delhi on Friday cost ₹913 on Saturday morning.
Sixty rupees more. Just like that.
And if you think that's the end of the bad news, you haven't been watching crude oil prices.
👉 Current LPG price in your city is at the bottom of this article.
Why Did LPG Suddenly Get More Expensive?
Because the oil companies were bleeding money and couldn't hold the line any longer.
Here's the thing most news reports skip over: India imports around 60% of its LPG. The majority of that comes from the Middle East — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE. And almost all of it has to pass through the Strait of Hormuz to reach Indian ports. [web:286]
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since February 28. That's the day the US started bombing Iran. Ship insurers stopped covering vessels. Tankers stopped moving. The supply of LPG flowing into Indian ports dropped sharply overnight — and hasn't recovered. [web:285]
Meanwhile, Brent crude crossed $92 per barrel last week. A year ago it was $72. [web:289]
Indian oil marketing companies — IOC, BPCL, HPCL — were selling every LPG cylinder at a loss. Not a small loss. According to the Indian Express, the actual market-linked price warranted a hike of ₹134 per cylinder. [web:286] The government let them raise it by ₹60. The other ₹74 is still being absorbed — which means the problem hasn't been fixed, it's been postponed.
Current LPG Prices After the Hike — Your City
| City | 14.2 kg Cylinder | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | ₹913.00 | +₹60 |
| Mumbai | ₹912.50 | +₹60 |
| Kolkata | ₹939.00 | +₹60 |
| Chennai | ₹918.50 | +₹60 |
| Bengaluru | ₹913.50 | +₹60 |
| Hyderabad | ₹937.50 | +₹60 |
| Ahmedabad | ₹906.00 | +₹60 |
| Raipur | ₹924.00 | +₹60 |
| Jaipur | ₹922.50 | +₹60 |
| Patna | ₹944.50 | +₹60 |
| Lucknow | ₹918.50 | +₹60 |
[web:284][web:285]
Commercial 19 kg cylinders went up ₹115 — from ₹1,768 to ₹1,883. If you run a restaurant, dhaba, or any food business, you already know this.
Petrol and Diesel — The Government Says "No Hike For Now"
On March 6, the government told India Today there are "no immediate plans" to hike petrol and diesel prices. [web:298]
This is the same government that said the same thing about LPG — right up until it hiked LPG.
So let's look at the actual numbers instead of the official statements.
Current petrol prices (as of March 9):
| City | Petrol (₹/litre) | Diesel (₹/litre) |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | ₹94.77 | ₹87.67 |
| Mumbai | ₹103.50 | ₹90.03 |
| Bengaluru | ₹103.69 | ₹90.99 |
| Chennai | ₹100.90 | ₹92.49 |
| Hyderabad | ₹107.50 | ₹95.70 |
| Kolkata | ₹105.41 | ₹92.02 |
| Raipur | ₹101.11 | ₹90.20 |
[web:291][web:293]
These prices have been frozen since April 2025. Behind those frozen numbers, OMCs are currently losing an estimated ₹4–6 per litre on petrol and ₹5–7 per litre on diesel at current crude levels. [web:296]
That's not a rounding error. At India's daily consumption volumes, that's hundreds of crores in losses per day — losses that either get covered by the government (your taxes), absorbed by the companies until they can't breathe, or passed on to you at the pump.
The April 3 Deadline Nobody Is Talking About Loudly Enough
Here is the number that matters more than any other in India's fuel price story right now.
April 3.
That is when India's US-granted waiver to buy discounted Russian crude expires. [web:298]
For the past several months, Indian refiners have been buying Russian oil at a significant discount — sometimes $12–15 below Brent — which has been the single biggest reason OMCs could absorb rising global prices without passing them to consumers.
On April 4, that discount may disappear. If the Iran war is still running — and every serious analyst says it will be — India either has to:
- Ask for an extension and hope Trump says yes
- Buy non-Russian crude at full $90+ per barrel market price
- Risk US secondary sanctions by continuing Russian purchases without a waiver
If option 2 happens, the math on holding petrol and diesel prices collapses completely. A ₹8–10 per litre hike becomes not just likely but arithmetically necessary.
What This Looks Like for Your Wallet — Real Money
LPG — ₹90 more per month: Average Indian family burns 1.5 cylinders a month. The ₹60 hike = ₹90 extra monthly = ₹1,080 per year. The government calls it "20 paise per person per day." Your grocery budget calls it something else. [web:286]
Petrol — if revised by ₹8/litre: Two-wheeler, 5 litres filled twice a week = ₹320 extra per month. Car, 30 litres weekly = ₹960 extra per month. [web:289]
Food prices — the hike nobody counts: Diesel moves vegetables, fruit, grain, and packaged goods across every state in India. A ₹5/litre diesel hike adds roughly ₹2–4/kg to retail food prices within a month. Your tomatoes, onions, and atta don't care about government freeze orders. [web:292]
What You Should Do Right Now
If you use LPG at home: Book your cylinder soon if you're running low — not in panic, just sensibly. Price is ₹913 in Delhi now. Budget for ₹950–980 by May if the war continues and another hike comes. [web:284]
If you drive a petrol vehicle: No official hike yet — but ₹100/litre petrol in Delhi within 45 days is a realistic base case, not a worst case. Plan accordingly.
If you run a small business using commercial gas: Your costs just went up ₹115 per 19 kg cylinder. Rebuild your pricing now — don't wait until customers are already trained to your current rates. [web:285]
If you're thinking about an EV: This week's numbers just moved the total cost of ownership calculation further in an EV's favour than it's ever been. If you were on the fence, get off it.
The Situation in One Sentence
The Iran war is making oil expensive, the Hormuz is closed, the Russian oil waiver expires in 25 days, and the government has already admitted it can't hold all the prices — it started with LPG, and petrol is next.
Watch the crude oil price every morning. Watch April 3 on your calendar. And when the petrol hike comes — and it will come — don't say nobody warned you.
