KOLKATA: The LPG crisis has triggered a rush for alternative cooking options, bringing diesel stoves back into demand. The few shops that still sell them say they have been flooded with enquiries over the past two to three days. Traditional stoves, too, are returning to kitchens as households look for substitutes.There are two shops on Old China Bazar Street that manufacture diesel stoves, and people have been flocking to them. Sanjay Chaudhuri, one of the shop owners, said: “There is a huge demand for diesel stoves, but the supply is almost zero. Whatever we had was already sold out.”He said diesel stoves had little demand earlier, but enquiries surged over the past three to four days after the LPG crisis surfaced.“Anyone coming now is given our contact number and asked to check with us next week. But we are not sure if we will be able to supply them even then, as we don’t have the manpower to manufacture them in bulk. Earlier, we kept a stock of five or six stoves, but with hardly any buyers we stopped making them in advance,” he said.
These stoves usually sold for around Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, but prices have shot up shar-ply amid the sudden surge in demand. Several buyers trying to purchase one urgently were reportedly asked to pay more than Rs 30,000.Earlier, it was mostly an order-based product, with only a few sweet shop owners buying it. Now demand has risen suddenly, with hotel and restau-rants also looking to buy the stoves to keep their kitchens running during the crisis.Bhavesh Doshi, another shop owner, said: “We are receiving 30 to 40 enquiries every day, but at present we do not have a single piece in our store. We have informed customers about this, though we have no idea when we will be able to supply them.”Rahul Chakraborty, who works in digital marketing, came to the shop with enquiries from several buyers looking to purchase a diesel stove on an emergency basis. “I came here on behalf of four clients, but he told me that not a single piece is left,” he said.Arun Chow, who runs a fast-food shop on Bentinck Street, said he had come looking for a stove. “My shop has been closed for some time as I haven’t received any gas cylinders, and one cylinder alone is not enough to run the place. I came searching for a diesel stove. But they could not give any assurance, so I am now planning to buy an induction oven,” he said.Arup Kumar Mandal, who came from Sonarpur, said: “We are associated with ISKCON and cook prasad for devotees every day. We urgently need an alternative fuel to continue, but they told me the stove is not available. I will now have to buy an induction cooker.”
