Pune, March 9 -- Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishor Ram on Monday said the city's 27 crematoriums are fully functional, but the 18 that use Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) will be temporarily closed to prevent the shortage due to the "break" in supply.

The decision comes amid concerns over energy supplies amid escalated tensions in West Asia, following the killing of 86-year-old Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint military strikes by the US and Israel on Iran on February 28. The strikes also killed several senior leaders of the Islamic Republic.

In retaliation, Tehran launched counter-strikes targeting American military bases in multiple Arab countries and Israeli assets across the region. Israel, along with the US...