Migrant workers, students grapple with small LPG cylinder crunch, disrupting daily life

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun 

Some migrant workers and students in the city say that they have been facing difficulties cooking daily meals due to a shortage of small 5 Kg LPG cylinders in several parts of Dehradun over the past few weeks.

Residents in areas such as Ballupur, Premnagar and ISBT said that small cylinder refills have become harder to obtain recently. These cylinders are commonly used by people living in rented or temporary accommodations, as regular domestic LPG connections usually require permanent address documents.

Students staying in hostels and rented rooms said that the shortage has disturbed their daily routine. A student living in Premnagar, Vansh Rawat said that refill availability has dropped sharply.

“Earlier, we used to get a refill within a few days. Now cylinders are not available at all and we have to wait much longer,” he said.

Another student Dhananjay Singh Chauhan said that many students are now depending on alternatives. “Because LPG is not available, we are using electric kettles or eating outside more often. This is adding considerably to our daily expenses,” he said.

Migrant workers working at construction sites said that they are among the worst affected, as they depend almost entirely on small cylinders for cooking.

A construction worker near ISBT, Karan Kumar said that the situation has become extremely tough in recent weeks. “It has been many days since we last got a refill. Even when cylinders are available, the price is higher than before,” he said.

With refills becoming difficult to arrange, some workers said that they have started using firewood and other temporary methods to cook food on returning from work.

Another labourer, Mohit Pal said that earlier refills were easier to arrange. “We are using Chulha to prepare our daily meals. It gets tough when it rains. This is just another task for us to find wood or coal to cook meals,” he said.

The shortage is linked to supply disruptions following the ongoing West Asia crisis, which has affected fuel availability in several places. Migrants say that the situation is creating problems, especially for people who do not have access to regular LPG connections and depend on small cylinders for everyday cooking.