Dependence on eateries: Gas crisis in Bengaluru hits students, PG boarders hard

Bengaluru: As the commercial LPG shortage continues to disrupt kitchens across Bengaluru, the impact is increasingly being felt by those who depend on eateries for their daily meals. Migrant workers, students and professionals staying in paying guest accommodations or rented homes without kitchens say the crisis has left them with fewer food choices and longer waiting times at many hotels and darshinis.Several small eateries that cater to this population have either reduced their menus or adjusted prices for certain items as they try to stretch the limited LPG stock available to them. Customers say dishes that require longer cooking time or higher gas consumption are slowly disappearing from menus, while many kitchens are shutting earlier than usual or operating with fewer burners.For residents who cannot cook where they stay, the disruption has meant adjusting their routine. While some say they are managing with whatever food is available, others are increasingly relying on instant food items or quick snacks when they are unable to find proper meals outside.Athul Krishna PS, who was visiting a friend in Bengaluru, said, "I was looking for a place at Indiranagar for lunch and Google showed that a place was open, but when we went there, it was completely shut. Then we visited Paragon Saturday evening, but it had already been closed by 10pm, which is not usually the case. Later, Sunday afternoon, when we visited Paragon, we were given a temporary menu with limited items, which did not have their normal chicken and mutton biryani, but only a few special biryanis. Sunday morning, when we went out to get some breakfast, the darshini we visited was closed and most of the hotels near Garudacharpalya were shut. Then we ended up eating at one of the smaller roadside places, and there was a delay in getting food. We were aware of the crisis, so we just managed with whatever we could get, as cooking for a bunch of people was not possible."Abel Philip, a student at St Joseph's University who stays in a rented flat, said, "I don't have a kitchen in my room to cook, so I mostly eat outside. While I did not notice much of a change in prices, I noticed a limited menu and I also observed delays in food being served. I go to a darshini regularly and initially they used two burners, but now I am noticing that only one burner is being used; hence, there is a delay in food being served."Two working professionals from the Richmond Road area, who wished not to be named, also told TOI that they depend on hotels for food. "The coffee and tea prices went up by Rs 2 at one of the regular places we go to. This increase will indeed hit the pockets of students who mainly depend on money sent by parents. We also observed that most of the hotels stopped making items like porotta, chapati and kebabs and are mostly serving rice items. We also noticed that a few hotels in our area seemed to be shut for the past 2-3 days."Sai Kiran, from Bannerghatta Road, said, "Since it was Saturday, we planned to go out to our favourite food place to enjoy hot fried snacks, which we usually get all the time. But we were disappointed when they stopped serving them because of this LPG problem. It's the same everywhere. It's sad that we are unable to enjoy our favourite food even at weekends."Pranay P, who is currently staying in a PG in Marathahalli, said, "Because of this crisis, the hostel menu is cut down and now only upma and dal are offered. So, to have a nice time with friends, we went to a restaurant in Whitefield. But we were really disappointed when the owner said most meals were unavailable and almost all dishes were over due to the LPG shortage. In the end, we had to settle for some ordinary noodles."