The cooking gas shortage has prompted school authorities in the Jalpaiguri district to start preparing midday meals for students in traditional wood-fired stoves instead of gas ovens.

With uncertainty over the regular LPG supply due to the West Asia conflict and fears that the situation may worsen in the coming days, schools have begun preparing back-up arrangements. In many cases, old clay stoves have been repaired and made ready for use.

On Thursday, in the Sunitibala Sadar Prathamik Balika Vidyalaya, a prominent girls’ school in Jalpaiguri town, firewood was used to cook the midday meal.

The school prepares meals for around 900 students daily.

Arup Dey, the headmaster, said that usually an LPG cylinder lasts for only three days in the school.

“The supply of cylinders has created uncertainty about whether new ones will be available on time. We did not want to take risk with the students’ meals. That is why we are using wood-fired clay ovens as an alternative and do not want to exhaust the complete stock of LPG,” said Dey.

He said that cooking on firewood was more labour-intensive, but they wanted to ensure that the students got meals without disruption.

Madhu Paik, the headmaster of Nagrakata State Plan Primary School in the
Nagrakata block of the district, said they had taken a similar initiative.

“The LPG cylinder we have will last for a few more days. However, considering the delay in supply, as a precautionary measure we arranged a wood stove and are using it. Cooks have been told to make necessary alternative arrangements like arranging adequate firewood, et al, so that cooking can continue smoothly even if we do not get a new cylinder,” he said.

Every day, around 70 students are served midday meals at the school.

Biplab Jha, the Jalpaiguri district president of Nikhilbanga Shikshak Samiti, confirmed that some primary schools in the district were already running low on gas cylinders.

“The supply of cylinders might further delay due to the shortage. Thus, schools have begun arranging firewood and clay ovens to continue cooking midday meals,” said Jha.

LPG dealers in the neighbouring Alipurduar district have asked schools to submit applications to them so that cylinders are supplied on time.

“These days, there is a regulation on the booking of cylinders and supply of
cylinders. But there are many schools which need even three cylinders a week to cook the midday meals. That is why they have been asked to file applications so that dealers can take up the issue with authorities concerned, enabling regular supply for schools,” said the teacher-in-charge of a primary school in Alipurduar town.

Two LPG dealers in Jalpaiguri have stopped receiving bookings due to a lack of stock of filled cylinders in their godowns.

“We cannot accept cylinder bookings unless trucks arrive here from the LPG refilling plants,” said Khaden Hossain, an employee at a dealership in the Mashkalaibari area of
the town.

Authorities at the Jalpaiguri Government Medical College and Hospital and the Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College are equally worried.

“We cook food for around 1,000 patients every day for which we need four commercial cylinders. So far, we managed with the existing stock, but if there is a delay in supply, the situation will worsen,” said Dilip Ghosh, supervisor of the kitchen at the medical college.

Amid the shortage, the district administration has stepped in to monitor the situation. On Thursday, LPG distributors were called for a meeting at the district magistrate’s office.

“We have made it clear that no artificial shortage of LPG cylinders would be allowed. Distributors should monitor that cylinders are not sold illegally at higher prices,” said Dhiman Barui, the additional district magistrate (general) of Jalpaiguri.

Additional reporting by our Alipurduar correspondent