HYDERABAD: The LPG cylinder crisis has now reached university campuses. At least one central university in the city has reported a sharp drop in LPG supply, forcing authorities to use wood-fired cooking to keep hostel kitchens running.
Officials at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) said the institution is receiving only a fraction of the cylinders it normally consumes, creating challenges for kitchens serving thousands of students. “We earlier consumed about 20 cylinders a week, but now we are getting only five,” a senior official told TNIE. “The remaining requirement is being managed through wood-fired cooking.”
The university has about 3,800 hostel residents. Authorities said kitchens have adjusted operations to maintain meal services despite reduced gas supply. “We do not have any buffer stock. Earlier distributors delivered cylinders first and collected payment later, but now they are asking us to pay in advance,” the official added.
Despite the shortage, the hostel menu has not been reduced so far, partly due to the ongoing Ramzan period. “Many students are fasting, and only a few take three meals a day. Most are eating twice, so there has been no immediate need to cut the menu,” the official added.
Meanwhile, Osmania University chief warden G Srinivas Rao said the institution has not faced any LPG shortage but has begun using firewood to conserve gas. “We are receiving cylinders regularly, but we are using alternative arrangements to avoid problems in the coming days,” he said, adding that the university receives domestic LPG cylinders as it is a government institution.