A sudden shortage of LPG cylinders across Delhi-NCR has triggered panic buying of alternative cooking appliances, with induction cooktops going out of stock on major e-commerce platforms and quick-commerce apps.Many electrical stores have also run out of stock, and induction cooktops, usually priced at Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000, are reportedly being sold on the black market for as much as Rs 15,000.In several parts of Gurugram, which have a high concentration of paying guests (PGs) and cloud kitchens, locals are renting out induction cooktops for as much as Rs 200 per hour. Induction cooktops listed on platforms such as Blinkit, Swiggy, Zepto, Amazon and Flipkart are showing as sold out across parts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida, reflecting the spike in demand.Local appliance dealers across Delhi, Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad say customers are buying induction stoves in large numbers amid fears of delays in gas cylinder deliveries.Shopkeepers say sales that normally occur over a month are now happening within days as households look for immediate alternatives.“We had a stock of over 2,000 induction cooktops and sold all of them in just 36 hours. Most were bought by PG operators and cloud kitchen owners. We are expecting fresh stock in two days and already have advance bookings,” said Suresh Gupta, an electrical appliance showroom owner in Sector 29.The LPG supply crunch is also beginning to affect the hospitality sector. Several eateries across NCR have reportedly trimmed their menus or partially switched to electric cooking solutions due to limited gas supply.“We run a cloud kitchen and have to send out 100 tiffins daily. We cannot halt operations or we will lose customers. We have trimmed the menu to just one vegetable and roti and increased prices. To meet demand, we bought five new induction cooktops,” said Pooja Yadav of Yadav Tiffins in Sector 31.According to PG owner Sushma Bhatia, who runs five PG flats in DLF Phase 3, they have rented induction cooktops from neighbours for Rs 100 per hour.“We charge residents for meals and are bound to provide food to all,” she said.The current crisis is partly linked to global energy supply disruptions triggered by geopolitical tensions affecting shipping routes and LPG supplies. India remains heavily dependent on imported LPG, making domestic availability vulnerable to international supply shocks.Meanwhile, Ashneer Grover, former co-founder of BharatPe, highlighted on X how the shortage was now affecting schools. In a post, he shared a screenshot of an email from The Shri Ram School informing parents that its caterer was unable to procure sufficient LPG cylinders to run the school’s lunch and snack programme.