LPG Crunch Hits Medicos of Government Medical Colleges in AP

KURNOOL: The shortage in LPG supplies linked to the ongoing US and Israel’s conflict with Iran has started affecting government medical colleges across Andhra Pradesh, putting thousands of medicos in a difficult situation.

Hotels and paying guest hostels in the Telugu states are already struggling due to gas shortage. The crunch has now hit the medical college hostels and mess facilities.

Kurnool Medical College is one of the largest medical institutions in the Rayalaseema region. Around 1,000 medicos — including undergraduate and postgraduate students, house surgeons and senior residents — depend on the campus mess for their daily meals.

Officials say the mess requires at least three LPG cylinders every day for cooking. However, the current stock is expected to last only till Thursday, March 12. Concern is growing about how the mess will function from Friday if fresh supplies do not arrive.

The college administration has already written to the Kurnool joint collector seeking urgent supply of 12 LPG cylinders. But there has been no response so far, sources said.

“If cylinders are not supplied by the evening of Friday, we may have to start cooking using firewood. We have no other alternative,” said a professor at Kurnool Medical College.

A similar situation is developing at the government medical colleges attached to Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences. Likewise is the difficulty being faced by 18 government medical colleges in AP with over 23,000 students depending on hostel mess for food, including at Andhra Medical College in Visakhapatnam, Rangaraya Medical College in Kakinada, Guntur Medical College, ACSR Government Medical College in Nellore, and Sri Venkateswara Medical College in Tirupati.

Faculty members warn that if LPG supplies are not restored within the next two days, the situation could worsen for medicos across the state. “Cooking arrangements are already under strain. Immediate government intervention is needed,” said an associate professor from Guntur Medical College.

To conserve gas, mess managements have already modified their menus over the past two days. Dishes that require deep frying and consume more gas are being avoided, with preference given to boiled preparations.

Students say stepping out for meals is also difficult, as many nearby messes and hotels have closed due to the same LPG shortage.