Boiled eggs cut from hostel mess menus amid Mumbai's LPG cylinder shortage

The shortage has forced several institutions and hostels to revise meal plans and issue advisories as they struggle to manage with the limited cooking fuel.

Mumbai: The city’s LPG crisis has now hit hostels and canteens too, with student messes shrinking their menus, cutting down on food items, and urging students to avoid food waste. The shortage has forced several institutions and hostels to revise meal plans and issue advisories as they struggle to manage with the limited cooking fuel.

BMC’s education department has written to the controller of rationing and the director of civil supplies, urging them to prioritise LPG supply for self-help groups that prepare mid-day meals for municipal school students. (Hindustan Times)

At the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, the administration has reduced several items on the hostel mess menu to lower LPG consumption. In an email to students, the institute said the changes were necessary due to the ongoing LPG shortage, caused by the West Asia War, which has strained the country’s LPG supply.

According to the notice, menu items that require more energy to cook have been temporarily removed or modified. Boiled eggs will not be served as boiling water consumes large amounts of fuel. The messes will also stop serving extra non-vegetarian dishes at lunch.

In addition, only one vegetarian sabji will be served during lunch and dinner, along with steamed rice and either roti or multigrain bread. Boiled items such as chana or beans will not be prepared for breakfast, while fried items like papad will also be discontinued. Instead of sweets at dinner, milkshakes or ice cream will be served on alternate days. Guest meals will also be restricted. The revised menu will take effect on March 14.

The institute has also postponed tea parties, special lunches, gala dinners and similar events until LPG supply returns to normal. The IIT Bombay administration said that while the institute has electric and biofuel cooking systems, there are still limitations in preparing certain types of food.

“We are planning to address this crisis without disturbing the overall food supply in the institute,” an official said.

Other hostels in the city are taking similar measures. At the state-run Telang Smarak Muliche Vastigruh girls’ hostel on C Road in Churchgate, students have been informed that food services may be affected due to very low LPG supply to the canteen. The hostel administration has advised students to avoid food wastage and use their personal food stocks carefully if the shortage continues over the next few days.

Meanwhile, the All India Students’ Federation in Mumbai has criticised the situation, saying the LPG shortage has created serious problems for students. The organisation said thousands of students from across Maharashtra and other states depend on hostel mess facilities for affordable meals.

The student group also claimed that mess facilities at Matoshri Hostel and the University of Mumbai’s J.S. Hall hostels in Churchgate have already shut down due to the LPG shortage, causing difficulties to students. The federation has demanded that authorities immediately restore LPG supply to hostels and student canteens to prevent disruption of food services.

A student from J S Hall hostel said, “Due to the sudden closure of the hostel canteen, we need to go outside to have meals in a day. While MU instructed us to use an alternate mess in a nearby hostel, it was also half closed.”

While acknowledging the issue, an MU official said the canteen in question was causing problems.

“We are making various arrangements for LPG supply and have written to distributors too,” the official added.

The shortage has also raised concerns over school meals. Officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s education department have written to the controller of rationing and the director of civil supplies, urging them to prioritise LPG supply for self-help groups that prepare mid-day meals for municipal school students so that the daily meals of thousands of children are not affected.