LPG Shortage Hits Hostels In Hyderabad
With cooking gas supplies being overbooked and the ongoing tensions in West Asia, several hostel owners are struggling to prepare meals for hundreds of students who depend on them every day: Reports
HYDERABAD: A continuing shortage of commercial LPG cylinders is creating serious difficulties for many hostels and paying guest (PG) accommodations across the city, particularly in major student clusters such as RTC X Roads, Ameerpet, Padmaraonagar, Kukatpally, among others.
With cooking gas supplies being overbooked and the ongoing tensions in West Asia, several hostel owners are struggling to prepare meals for hundreds of students who depend on them every day.
In the RTC X Roads area, where many coaching centres and colleges are based, and students from across Telangana and neighbouring states reside in accommodations, hostel operators said that the shortage has forced them to find alternative arrangements. Some hostels have started bringing cooked food from nearby messes as they are unable to run their kitchens regularly.
Ramesh Kumar, who runs a boys’ hostel near RTC X Roads, said: “It has been almost a week since our kitchen has been affected for more than a week now. We usually cook 3 meals every day for nearly 70 students. But since we are not getting cylinders regularly, we have started bringing meals from a nearby mess for lunch and dinner only.”
He further said, “We have limited the food to just rice, sambar and a single curry, whichever is available at the mess. That mess is also unable to keep up with the LPG shortage.”
Students staying in these hostels say the change has affected their routine. Aravind, a civil services aspirant from Warangal staying in another hostel, said, “I’m buying my breakfast and dinner from a restaurant. Lunch is okay-ish, but dinner is chapati and very little curry, so I’m opting to eat out.”
In Ameerpet, another major student hub known for its training institutes, hostel owners have adopted even more unusual methods to keep their kitchens running. One small boys’ hostel has started cooking food using firewood in the backyard after its stock of cylinders ran out.
Priyanka, a student in the hostel, said, “The management didn’t get any cylinders, and they began cooking food using wood now. But it's a lot of hassle for the management. I hope the situation gets a little better soon.”
Hostel owners across the city say the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders has been affecting them severely, and urged authorities and gas distributors to ensure regular supply. They warned that the problem is directly affecting thousands of students.