Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Canteen operators in the Shendra MIDC area have started cooking meals for workers on traditional firewood stoves after the supply of commercial LPG cylinders was disrupted. The move is a temporary measure to ensure food availability for workers in the industrial area.
Operators say the situation has become difficult as the price of a commercial gas cylinder has risen sharply to nearly Rs 4,000. At the same time, firewood is also costly, with dry wood in the retail market priced between Rs 8 and Rs 10 per kilogram. Many workers depend on canteens for meals when they are unable to bring food from home or do not have cooking gas. However, the fuel shortage and limitations of cooking on firewood have created challenges for canteen operators, workers, and industrial establishments. There is also talk that gas supply to canteens inside some industries has been disrupted. As a result, canteen operators are now planning the menu a day in advance and preparing limited quantities of breakfast and meals. “The price of a gas cylinder was Rs 3,800 yesterday, but today it has risen to Rs 4,000. Even if we arrange firewood, it is difficult for cooks to prepare food on traditional stoves,” said Anil Kedare, manager of Atharva Canteen.