Berhampur: The demand for firewood has surged in the silk city over the past week following short supply of LPG triggered by the West Asia conflict, prompting several hotels, temples and feast organisers to switch back to using firewood.“Daily sales have jumped from around three quintals, mostly for biryani preparation, to nearly 25 quintals in the last five days,” said Prasant Panigrahy, who runs a firewood depot in the city.Despite the spurt in demand, he has not increased prices. Firewood continues to sell at Rs 1,200 a quintal, while for cremation it is sold at Rs 900 to Rs 1,000 per tonne, depending on the financial condition of the family.Another depot owner, Adu Panigrahy, said stock is shrinking rapidly due to the sudden demand. Feast organisers are particularly opting for firewood because of the erratic cooking gas supply, he added. Around three quintals have been supplied to a temple for Sankranti on Sunday.Depot owners said they procure firewood legally from forest depots in accordance with govt guidelines. Some depots have also begun stocking up for the upcoming Danda Yatra during which ‘Danduas’ (performers of the seasonal folk tradition) rely exclusively on firewood for cooking. The festival begins in the last week of March and continues till Visubha Sankranti on April 14.Amid concerns of illegal tree felling due to the sudden demand spike, regional chief conservator of forests (RCCF), Berhampur, Vishwanath Neelannavar, has ordered intensified vigilance. Forest officials have stepped up patrolling in vulnerable areas to curb illegal activity. No instances of illegal tree felling have been reported so far, he said.
