Coimbatore: Cooking gas shortage has forced Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital and a few private colleges in the district to revise food menus as a temporary measure to reduce LPG consumption.The new menu for inpatients at CMCH would come into effect on Thursday night and continue for around a week. Hospital authorities said they would continue to provide nutritionally adequate meals to patients. The hospital currently has around 1,400-1,500 inpatients, of whom nearly 1,000-1,100 receive free meals thrice a day. According to resident medical officer Dr B Saravanapriya, the revised menu focuses on replacing food items that require longer cooking times with alternatives that could be prepared more quickly and with less fuel. Under the revised plan, dinner items such as chapathi and upma have been replaced with wheat rava. Protein sources have also been modified. Channa, which takes longer to cook, has been substituted with green gram and soya. Some meals have been simplified by combining dishes to reduce cooking time. Instead of serving rice with sambar and various vegetable side dishes, the hospital may now provide vegetable rice along with some fruit. Dosa has also been removed from the menu for the time being. Dr Saravanapriya said while the state govt has hinted that any further change in food arrangements would require consultation with a dietitian, the current revisions have been introduced as an immediate measure to manage the cooking gas shortage. “We have ordered two mass steamers capable of cooking 240 idlis and 30kg rice. These steamers could operate on both LPG and electricity. One will be used by the medical college and the other by the hospital.” The LPG shortage has also led private educational institutions in Coimbatore to alter hostel menus. A college principal said they have removed dosa and chapathi from the hostel menu for a week. Instead, the hostel is offering bread toast, idly and banana. At Karpagam Institutions, where around 10,000 students stay in hostels, dosa and parotta have been removed from the menu for five days starting Thursday. Public relations officer Dr K M G Athi Pandian said kichadi and idly have been introduced instead. The Association of Self-Financing Arts, Science and Management Colleges of Tamil Nadu has appealed the state govt to ensure uninterrupted LPG supply to educational institutions with hostels and canteens, especially during the exam period. In a representation to chief minister M K Stalin, the association said many students from across Tamil Nadu and other parts of the country were depending entirely on hostel messes and college canteens for daily meals. Association president Dr Ajeet Kumar Lal Mohan said disruptions in commercial LPG supply were creating operational difficulties for colleges. Pointing out that Tamil Nadu was home to more than 900 arts and science colleges, the association said more than 100 of them were housed across Coimbatore, Tirupur, Nilgiris and Erode districts. Coimbatore collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar on Thursday held a meeting with the officials of oil marketing companies to review domestic LPG availability. He is expected to meet representatives of schools, colleges and hospitals to discuss fuel supply. The district administration is also exploring alternatives such as induction cooking with the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited. The Coimbatore Hostel Owners Association has petitioned the collector, seeking LPG supply for more than 600 private hostels serving more than one lakh people across Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Salem and Trichy districts.
