NEW DELHI: Food options across canteens and hostels at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have begun to shrink as ongoing LPG supply restrictions disrupt cooking operations on campus. Several popular items have already disappeared from menus, students said on Monday, while hostel mess committees have started revising food plans to cope with reduced gas availability.
Students said the impact is already visible in multiple campus eateries. At the School of International Studies (SIS) canteen, samosas are no longer being served, while tea has become unavailable at the TEFLAS canteen. In several hostels, food items that require longer cooking times or higher gas consumption are gradually being removed from daily menus.
Hostel mess committees have begun issuing notices to inform residents about the changes. At Lohit Hostel, for instance, the revised menu indicates that roti and poori will not be served on certain days. According to the updated schedule, roti will not be available during lunch on Tuesdays and Saturdays. On those days, meals will instead consist of alternatives such as plain rice or khichdi.
The adjustments follow a communication from gas supplier Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL), which issued letters to the mess heads of Sabarmati Hostel and Lohit Hostel regarding supply restrictions. In the letters, the company said gas supplies to industrial and commercial customers had been limited to 80 per cent of their average consumption over the past six months, effective from 6 am on March 11, 2026.
With supplies reduced by 20 per cent, hostel authorities say menu rationalisation has become unavoidable to ensure that mess operations continue smoothly.
Student groups, however, warn that the situation could worsen if the restrictions persist. In a statement, the Disha Students’ Organisation said several canteens had already begun removing items due to the “impending crisis”.
Students also fear that reduced supply could eventually lead to higher food prices. A student from the School of International Studies said that while the current menu changes are manageable, there is growing anxiety about the possibility of further cuts or an increase in mess fees. Many students depend on affordable hostel messes and campus dhabas for their daily meals.
Amid these concerns, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) has announced a march to the office of the Dean of Students on Tuesday. The union said the protest aims to demand pre-emptive measures from the administration to ensure the smooth functioning of messes and dhabas on campus and to prevent any rise in mess fees during the ongoing LPG supply crisis.