Ranchi LPG Cylinder Shortage: Women's Cafes Use Home Cylinders, Traditional Stoves

Ranchi: As residents across Ranchi scramble to secure LPG cylinders amid the ongoing uncertainties, a group of women running the Palash Ajivika Didi café at the Ranchi District Collectorate kept their kitchen going by bringing domestic cylinders from home.Driven by a sense of responsibility and a commitment to feeding people, Poonam Devi and her co-workers used household LPG cylinders.“Today, didis of our café brought at least four cylinders from their homes, and so we could prepare all the items,” Poonam Devi said. “From rice and dal to mutton, chicken, eggs and vegetables, everything was prepared on Thursday.” She said the café’s future operations remain uncertain from Friday onward. When asked, how those who brought their cylinders here would manage at home, she said they generally use traditional source of fuel, so it won’t be a problem for them to manage. As a backup, she is preparing two traditional chulhas and arranging coal to keep the café running, though only basic items may be served until the situation improves.A similar problem has hit another women-run stall at Vikas Bhavan. Renu Devi, who operates the outlet, said she ran out of LPG on Thursday and has now turned to traditional ovens. “From Friday onwards, we will serve only rice, dal and vegetables,” she said. “Pakoras, snacks and sweet items will not be available. We are in great trouble.”Renu said her daily business, which usually exceeds Rs 20,000, is likely to fall sharply. The shortage has also triggered black-market sales.An eatery owner in Lalpur said commercial cylinders are being sold illegally for Rs 2,800 to Rs 3,000 each. The crisis is affecting households and workers alike. Two policewomen were seen searching for refills, saying they would have no food after duty if they failed to get gas.