Presidency University’s Eden Hindu Hostel resumed mess service on Friday with basic items after three LPG cylinders arrived late on Thursday night.

Boarders will be served rice, dal and soybeans.

“Fish, meat and eggs will not be served. We do not know when another stock of cylinders will arrive. Residents have decided to opt for a bare minimum menu,” said postgraduate student Oishnik Dutta.

The residents had planned to include fried items for an iftar at the hostel on Friday. “But we dropped the idea... We bought snacks from outside instead,” said Dutta. The iftar had initially been scheduled for Wednesday but was postponed after the mess shut due to a lack of cooking gas.

The three cylinders can feed the 110-odd students only for three days, said boarder Mohammad Ashiq Rahaman. “We do not know what will happen from Monday.”

ISI, Calcutta

The Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta, has decided to cook using firewood from Saturday. Its last LPG cylinder was used up on Friday.

“The canteen operator for the Boys’ Hostel informed us that he had run out of stock. So firewood will be used,” said an ISI official. “We have erected a pandal on the campus where the open-air cooking will be allowed.”

St Xavier’s

At St Xavier’s College, principal Father Dominic Savio said they were managing the situation with “utmost caution”.

“Staff members have been informed and instructed to be extremely careful in the use of LPG. To ensure continuity of meals, we have begun serving simple food to students,” the principal said.

The college hostel has 22 cylinders: 20 domestic and two commercial.

Ten cylinders are sufficient to cook food for three days. Once the cylinders are exhausted, a booking request is placed at the supplier’s office.

“Students have been asked to inform their parents that meals will remain simple until the cylinder shortage is resolved,” the principal said.

Cooked food will not be available in the canteen until further notice.