Kolkata: Roadside eateries in Kolkata have quietly shifted to coal-fired chulhas from LPG ovens amid the shortage in the availability of LPG cylinders.Akshaymal Gond, who runs a ‘bhaater hotel’ on Ganesh Chandra Avenue, shifted to coal as the main cooking fuel from Tuesday. “Now, I need around 50 kg raw coal to operate four mud-made chulhas,” said Gond, who on Monday bought two clay stoves as standby from Chitpore market.Coal sellers in parts of central Kolkata reported a sudden rise in demand. Lalji Das from Goaltuli Lane said, “We usually supply 350 kg-380 kg coal but on Tuesday, we delivered 500 kg. Many new customers also asked about the price,” he said. Das pointed out coal prices had remained low for the past few months at Rs 15-18 per kg but small eatery owners, who had started shifting to coal now, feared prices would rise soon amid limited coal shops in the city.Shyamal Das (59), who owns a fast food stall, is worried. “I have just a day’s LPG left. I will have to shift to a kerosene stove soon,” Das said. Pointing out he had considered a clay stove as an alternative, he said, “But my high-selling items, like chole bhature and noodles, need high heating that coal does not have,” he added.Krishna Prasad Gupta, who runs a tea and snacks shop at Chandni Chowk, said, “I shifted to LPG post Covid. But now, I may have to return to mud-made chulha.”Environmentalists warned against the possibility of air pollution worsening. Auto emission expert Somendra Mohan Ghosh said, “If roadside eateries and others start using coal instead of LPG, carbon footprints will rise significantly due to the emission of greenhouse gases. AQI will start deteriorating soon.”Ajay Maity, who runs a pice hotel on Sambhu Nath Pandit Street, said he paid an extra Rs 400 for a commercial cylinder on Monday. “Two eatery owners here have kept their shop closed since Monday,” Maity added, saying he also planned to shift to a clay stove.(With inputs from Sayanatan Chakraborti)
