Cooking gas price hike hits three-year high
Domestic cooking gas prices in Hyderabad have climbed to a three-year high after oil marketing companies announced a Rs 60 increase in the price of a 14.2 kg LPG cylinder effective March 7 pushing the retail cost to Rs 965 from Rs 905 earlier.
The hike was implemented by Indian Oil Corporation Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum making Hyderabad the costliest major Indian metropolitan city for domestic LPG supplies. This is the second rise in less than a year.
In April 2025 the price had already increased by Rs 50 meaning households now face a cumulative rise of Rs 110 per cylinder within twelve months. Industry observers say relatively higher state taxes on petroleum products in Telangana keep cooking gas prices in Hyderabad above other metros.
Across India domestic LPG prices are linked to the Saudi Aramco Contract Price an international benchmark used in LPG trade. Analysts say global pressures have again pushed rates upward affecting city households directly.
Officials explain that rising international costs are connected to geopolitical tensions in West Asia. The conflict involving the United States Israel and Iran has disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz a vital corridor for global oil and gas transport. Restrictions on vessel movement have tightened supply chains lifting LPG benchmark prices. Oil companies note domestic rates had remained largely unchanged for nearly eleven months before the latest revision became unavoidable for suppliers and distributors across India this month.
For middle-class households in Hyderabad the increase adds pressure to already stretched monthly budgets. A family using about twelve cylinders a year will now spend roughly Rs 11,580 annually on cooking gas about Rs 720 more than earlier. Many residents say the rise comes as prices of vegetables milk and other essentials also climb. Fatima Begum a homemaker in Malakpet says she tracks spending carefully and now cooks simpler meals more often because even small increases disturb the household budget.
Similar concerns are voiced in Kukatpally where Sunita Reddy manages a five-member household. She says her family uses nearly one and a half cylinders each month increasing fuel expenses. To reduce usage she relies more on pressure cooking keeps the flame low and switches off the stove earlier. Despite these efforts she feels managing everyday expenses is steadily becoming harder for families across the city. Low-income households face similar pressure despite subsidy support from government welfare schemes for LPG users.
Beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana receive a Rs 300 subsidy per cylinder reducing the effective price to about Rs 665. Yet the unchanged subsidy means recent increases still strain poorer families. Lakshmi Devi from Dilsukhnagar says booking a cylinder often brings anxiety while restaurants also fear menu hikes.
