LPG shortage: IT employees, students manage with tomato or lemon rice and idli as hostels trim menus

Hyderabad: In Hyderabad's IT corridor, where lakhs of bachelors reside in hostels and PGs, in the wake of commercial LPG supply disruption owing to West Asia crisis menus have shrunk to basics like idli for breakfast, tomato rice, and lemon rice for lunch and dinner that are simple dishes cooks can prepare easily without much consumption of the cooking gas.

Rough estimates suggest that there are at least 11 lakh IT and software employees, students living in about 11,000 PGs and hostels in the IT corridor of Madhapur, Gachibowli, Kondapur, Hi-Tech City, Ameerpet, Kukatpally, and also Dilsukhnagar. In many PG accommodations, self-cooking has stopped entirely.

All the hostels have halted chapati, dosa, puri, and other time consuming and oil-intensive breakfasts. “We are not preparing any curries at all. Either rice and sambar or a flavoured rice like lemon rice or tomato rice has now become the standard menu. Even inmates are not complaining, as they understand the situation. We have also stopped serving coffee and tea,” a hostel operator in Gachibowli's DLF area told DH.

Some are managing cooking on firewood, coal, and tandoors instead of LPG. Almost all restaurants have stopped takeaway orders, and banquets have been suspended.

In most IT companies, coffee and tea vending machines that run on electricity are in use. The canteens have also stopped serving regular menus and restricted offerings to only idli or simple rice items.

A popular mess in Madhapur and Ameerpet, famous for lavish thali varieties, has restricted service to just one curry item.

Many caterers are refunding advances taken for wedding food preparations as the second spell of the wedding season begins on March 18, or trimming menus if the bride's and groom's parents agree. Small eateries have shuttered due to LPG shortages.

“While we can manage some items on firewood to speed up cooking and serve on time, we must depend on LPG. When there is no supply of commercial LPG, we can't manage everything with firewood. There is also heavy scrutiny over domestic LPG cylinders, so we can't take the risk of using them. We are either refunding advances or trimming the menu,” a well-known caterer in Chikkadpally, Hyderabad, told DH.

Telangana holds 10,611 metric tonnes of LPG

Official data shows Telangana holds 10,611 metric tonnes of LPG stock equivalent to about 6.97 lakh cylinders for its 12.9 million active domestic connections served by 810 distributors. Daily demand averages 2.5 lakh cylinders, with domestic users accounting for 86 per cent and commercial for 14 per cent. No bottling plants have faced disruptions, and over 90 per cent of domestic needs have been met recently.

On Friday, the state launched a high-level LPG Supply Coordination Committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, to monitor stocks, distribution, and compliance in real time. District-level panels, led by Collectors and including civil supplies, police, and oil marketing companies (OMCs), will hold daily reviews, enforce booking rules, and resolve local grievances.

Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, assured LPG consumers across the state of uninterrupted supplies and distribution for domestic users amid rising concerns triggered by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

He chaired a high-level video conference from the Dr B R Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat on Friday on the state's LPG supply situation. Uttam assured that there is no shortage of domestic LPG in Telangana. He urged citizens to avoid panic booking based on unverified social media rumors, stressing that the supply chain remains stable and fresh consignments arrive regularly.

A key measure discussed was enforcing revised booking intervals to prevent diversion of subsidized domestic cylinders to commercial use or hoarding. The government has aligned with national guidelines, setting the minimum booking gap at 25 days for urban consumers and 45 days for rural consumers.

This adjustment from previous shorter intervals matches realistic household consumption patterns; one cylinder typically lasts 25–45 days depending on family size and usage while curbing surplus cylinders that could be misused in hotels, restaurants, or black markets.

The government has mandated zero shortages for essential services such as hospitals, schools, orphanages, old age homes, and other critical institutions. Minor adjustments may apply to commercial sectors only if needed to safeguard domestic priorities, but officials clarified that overall supply stability allows balanced distribution.

The administration highlighted the OTP-based delivery verification system, where suppliers generate an OTP sent to the booked customer's registered mobile number. Delivery personnel confirm handover only after the customer provides the OTP, reducing chances of cylinders reaching unauthorised recipients.

Authorities have registered numerous cases under the Essential Commodities Act for hoarding, diversion, and black marketing.