New Delhi, April 23 -- India's state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) have halted new cooking gas connections nationwide for over a month amid a supply shortage linked to the West Asia conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, according to four people aware of the matter, including LPG distributors.

India, the world's second-largest importer of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), meets nearly 65% of its annual demand of 33 million tonnes through imports, about 90% of which is sourced from West Asia. With uncertainty around the Strait-which carries a fifth of global energy supplies-persisting, there is no clear timeline for resumption of new connections.

"Regarding new connections, we are not doing it right now," Sujata Sharma, join...