Panchkula: The langar (community kitchen) at Mata Mansa Devi Temple in Panchkula has come to a halt for the past three days due to a severe shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, leaving hundreds of devotees without free meals.The langar hall, run by the Shri Mata Mansa Devi Bhandara Committee Charitable Trust, stopped cooking food as the supply of commercial gas cylinders completely dried up. As a result, devotees visiting the shrine returned without receiving langar. Officials said the shortage of LPG was part of a larger supply disruption that affected several parts of the country. Chairman of the Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board and Panchkula deputy commissioner Satpal Sharma said the crisis was linked to global tensions affecting fuel supplies. “This is a nationwide crisis due to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel, which severely disrupted LPG supply. We are making efforts to restore the kitchen services at the shrine at the earliest,” he said. He said the shrine’s free food vans, which usually distribute meals to poor and needy people at various locations, also remained parked at the temple premises as the shortage of gas affected their operations. Former Haryana Assembly Speaker and senior BJP leader Gian Chand Gupta said efforts were underway to resolve the issue. “We requested the Deputy Commissioner to make necessary arrangements to restart the kitchen at the shrine. We are also trying to arrange LPG cylinders for the shrine board,” he said. Sanjay Kumar, manager of the Shri Mata Mansa Devi Bhandara Committee Charitable Trust, confirmed that the langar remained suspended due to the unavailability of commercial cylinders. “Due to the severe shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, the bhandara was stopped for the past 3 days. However, efforts are being made to resume the langar from tomorrow, keeping in mind the convenience of devotees,” he said. He said if LPG supply does not resume immediately, the committee plans to temporarily shift to traditional wood- or coal-fired furnaces. “In such a situation, a limited quantity of food like kadhi-chawal or dal-chawal will be prepared and served so that devotees at least receive prasad and basic food,” he said. The development caused to many pilgrims visiting the shrine, as the langar is one of the main facilities relied upon by devotees. BOX Induction cooktops, rice cookers sold outThe LPG shortage triggered a sudden surge in demand for electric cooking appliances across Panchkula and nearby areas. Shops selling kitchen appliances reported heavy footfall throughout the day, with many items such as induction cooktops, rice cookers and electric kettles selling out by evening. Narinder Singla, a local shopkeeper, said, “We witnessed record sales today. Induction cooktops, rice cookers and electric kettles were in huge demand, and by evening almost all such appliances were sold out.” Veena Jain, a homemaker, said the LPG shortage forced her to look for alternatives. “We ran out of our LPG cylinder and the booking system was not responding. So we came to buy an induction cooktop and rice cooker so that we can cook food at home,” she said.
