IIT Roorkee to Shri Ram School: LPG crunch forces kitchens to wood, coal; midday meals, school lunches at risk

A tightening LPG supply, linked to escalating tensions in the Middle East, is disrupting kitchens at schools and college campuses across the country, leaving institutions scrambling for firewood, coal and clay ovens to keep students fed. The crisis has reached some of the premier institutions of India, such as IIT Roorkee, Shri Ram Universal School in Noida, and is also affecting government schools running the mid-day meal scheme PM POSHAN.

Schools and colleges are now preparing contingency plans, including modifying menus and exploring alternative fuels, to ensure that meals for students continue despite supply disruptions.

As part of these measures, hostel kitchens have been advised to reduce menu items that consume large amounts of LPG and replace them with dishes that require less cooking fuel while maintaining nutritional value.

IIT Roorkee: Alternate fuel options

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has directed its hostel kitchens to prepare for cooking using alternative fuels such as wood and coal should LPG supplies run dry. The advisory, issued by the Associate Dean of Students’ Welfare (Bhawan & Mess), warned that LPG cylinder availability has become constrained and could affect routine cooking operations in hostel kitchens.

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As part of these measures, hostel kitchens have been advised to reduce menu items that are LPG-heavy and replace them with nutritious options that require less fuel. Mess facilities have also been asked to prepare to shift to traditional fuels such as wood or coal if gas supplies run out.

In a message shared with students, IIT Roorkee hostel authorities said: “Due to international issues, there is currently a shortage of LPG gas supply… Some menu items that require a large amount of LPG may be temporarily reduced. However, we will ensure that nutritious food is provided to everyone. Alternative cooking arrangements using coal and wood are also being made”.

Shri Ram Universal School no different

The LPG supply crunch is not limited to universities. Several schools are also facing difficulties in securing commercial gas cylinders required for daily meal preparation.

The Shri Ram Universal School in Noida has informed parents that its catering contractor is facing a shortage of 19kg commercial LPG cylinders due to the ongoing Middle East conflict. In its communication, the school warned that if fresh LPG stocks do not arrive soon, preparation of lunch and snacks may have to be suspended from March 16.

Mid-day meal scheme hit in Bengal

The shortage has begun to affect government-run schools implementing the mid-day meal programme as well.

The Economic Times reported that the shortage of LPG cylinders has already disrupted cooking operations in several schools in West Bengal, forcing institutions to rely on alternative fuels or simplify menus temporarily.

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The report said at Krishnachandrapur High School in South 24 Parganas, administrators anticipated the shortage and arranged firewood in advance as a temporary substitute. When LPG cylinders failed to arrive on March 11, meals for nearly 1,500 students had to be cooked on traditional clay ovens using firewood.

Headmaster Chandan Maiti said the school had tried to prepare for the shortage but could not sustain such arrangements indefinitely. “We realised on Tuesday what might happen and prepared accordingly. But the supply of firewood is limited. It cannot continue like this for long, and the government needs to intervene,” he said, as quoted by The Economic Times.

The report added that other schools have also had to improvise. In Bolpur, an upper primary school used wooden logs to cook food for around 100 students after LPG supplies failed to arrive.

Meanwhile, some schools in Kolkata temporarily simplified their menus to cope with the shortage. At Rani Rashmoni High School, students were served boiled eggs due to limited LPG availability. At Lake Girls School in south Kolkata, authorities replaced the usual meal with khichdi to ensure that the midday meal programme continued.

The Economic Times report said that officials overseeing the PM POSHAN (midday meal) scheme have advised schools to explore temporary alternatives such as firewood, coal or diesel until the situation improves.