Commercial LPG up about ₹65 a cylinder; Chennai pays ₹2,983
Oil companies raised 19-kg commercial cylinder prices for a second straight month, lifting Chennai's rate by ₹66.50. Domestic LPG was unchanged. TNCC president Manickam Tagore said small eateries face a festive-season squeeze.
Prices of the 19-kg commercial LPG cylinder rose by about ₹65 across India on Thursday, the second consecutive monthly increase, while domestic cooking gas was left unchanged, oil-marketing companies told The Hindu.
Among the four metros, Kolkata saw the steepest single-day rise of ₹70, taking the cylinder to ₹2,884. Delhi rose ₹62.50 to ₹2,810, Mumbai ₹63.50 to ₹2,764.50, and Chennai ₹66.50 to ₹2,983. Cumulatively, commercial cylinders have climbed about ₹75 since September across two tranches, after sliding by ₹380 over July and August.
Aviation turbine fuel also rose by about ₹16 a litre to ₹137, adding pressure on airlines just as the festive travel season begins.
Restaurants under strain
Manpreet Singh, treasurer of the National Restaurants Association of India, told The Hindu that many restaurateurs who had held menu prices would now reconsider. LPG is a major input, he said, and the hike coincides with food inflation and rising labour costs. He also pointed to uncertainty in global energy markets linked to the war in Iran and remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that a peace deal may not come before early-November midterm elections.
Political pushback in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president and Virudhunagar MP Manickam Tagore criticised the Centre ahead of Navaratri and Ayudha Puja. He said Chennai's commercial cylinder had risen from ₹1,726.50 in June 2014 to ₹2,983 in October 2026 — a 72.78% jump under the Narendra Modi government — and that tea shops and small restaurants would feel the burden most during the festivals. He also attacked proposed merchant discount rate charges on UPI transactions for small traders.
For households, the unchanged domestic rate offers short-term relief. For commercial kitchens from Chennai to Kolkata, the bill arrives just as festive demand peaks — and before the GST Council's next meeting on 7 October, where broader consumption taxes will again be on the table.
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