People Shift to Firewood or Induction Cooking

Hyderabad: As citizens continue to line up outside their LPG distributors’ offices and gas stations, owing to alleged scarcity in LPG supplies, many people in the city are now turning to traditional wood stoves. Those who prefer the ease of cooking, however, are shifting to induction cooktops.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a representative of Swanik Technologies said demand for traditional stoves has increased recently. “A lot of people are now, in fact, liking the taste of food cooked on these wooden stoves. It has become a demand more than just an alternative,” he said.

Local dealers also said that they are receiving more than the usual number of orders and are booked for nearly a week. Amid this sudden surge, induction cooktop supplies continue to remain scarce in both online and offline markets. A check on Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart showed induction cooktops were largely out of stock. Amazon showed limited availability, with most of the stock being from lesser-known brands, and popular options going out of stock.

People started turning to these options after LPG deliveries began getting delayed despite confirmation messages being received. Some in the city have also reported falsified delivery updates. “We had booked a cylinder back in January and got an SMS in March stating that it was delivered. However, we never received the order. Repeated complaints through official channels are being ignored,” said Manoj, a resident of Amberpet.

Amid the chaos, authorities have claimed there is no LPG shortage and that citizens visibly lining up outside gas stations or distributor units are a result of “panic buying”.