Price rise of commercial LPG cylinders has spelt a boon for boarders of hostels and messes in the city — nutritional delicacies would replace oily, fried snacks on their platter.

Most hostels have switched to fast-to-cook food and plan to hike charges.

The four hostels of Magadh Mahila College are serving sprouted grams instead of chhola bhatura, samosa or idli vada to their 300 students for evening snack. The administration plans to hike monthly mess charges but uses 14.2kg domestic LPG cylinders. A teacher of the college, preferring anonymity, said: “We know that using domestic cylinders for commercial purpose is illegal but 19kg commercial cylinders are costly.” Suheli, the warden of the college’s Welfare Hostel, said: “Boarders, paying Rs 1,900 now, will have to pay Rs 2,000. But the final decision will be taken later.”

National Institute of Technology (NIT), Patna, also plans to hike mess charges. Mantu Singh, the NIT mess manager, said: “We consume 19-kg LPG cylinders, price of which rose to Rs 1,850 from Rs 1,650 in a month. We are left with no alternative but to hike mess charge.” A NIT-Patna student said: “The institute might hike mess charge from Rs 1,850 to Rs 2,100 for each student.”

Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Patna, is serving students fruit salads and dry fruits for evening snack instead of chhola bhatura, dosa and other oily food. But BIT does not plan any hike in charges, as it was hiked from Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,100 this session. At Indian Institute of Technology, Patna, Praveen Chand, vice-president of a students’ cell, said: “The institute charges Rs 2,000 a month as mess charges. There is no plan of hiking it.”

At Patna AIIMS, mess charges remain the same.

Many students staying at private lodges use 5kg cylinders. Subodh Kumar, a student of AN College, said: “We used to get our cylinders filled at Rs 60 per kg but now we have to cough up Rs 90 for the same.”