Hyderabad: The commercial LPG crisis in Hyderabad has claimed its first victim – chapatis. With hostels and those managing paying guest (PG) accommodation in the IT corridor running low on cooking gas supply, many have taken the staple off their menu.Puris and dosas are also being avoided, with hostels claiming these consume more LPG. In some hostels, certain curries such as rajma and chickpea-based dishes, have been temporarily dropped, leaving many migrant techies who survive on meals in the tight spot.“We are serving lemon rice, upma and pongal, which require less gas. For now, rice-based meals and simple food like vegetable curry, dal and curd will be served until the supply improves,” said a supervisor of the NextGen Group of 11 hostels in the IT corridor.To manage the situation, the IT Corridor Hostels Association issued guidelines to hostel owners asking them to rationalise menus temporarily. The association represents nearly 3,000 hostels housing around 3 lakh students and working professionals. Hostel owners were also advised to limit serving tea and coffee.“The Centre should consider hostels as a priority sector for the supply of commercial LPG and ensure adequate availability,” said T Karunakar, general secretary of the association.Across Hyderabad, there are nearly 11,000 hostels housing around 10 lakh students and working professionals. With many of them altering their menus, the impact is being felt in hostel hubs such as Madhapur, Gachibowli, Kondapur, Hi-tech City, Ameerpet, Kukatpally and Dilsukhnagar, which host migrants from across the country.“Most hostels and PGs used to serve two or three chapatis each daily along with curry. Now they are replacing it with rice-based dishes, which is difficult for us to adjust to every day,” said Saurav Gupta, an IT professional staying at a private hostel in Madhapur.
