LPG shortage affects students preparing for govt. job exams in Patna

In a windowless room of a five-storey building on Rampur Nahar Road in the Musallahpur Hatt area of eastern Patna, Prahalad Kumar, 24, and Rahul Kumar, 25, have crammed their cots, study table, coaching materials, books stacked on cemented slabs, a single gas stove with a five-kg Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder, and other essentials needed for daily use.

But their LPG cylinder is empty, and they have not cooked a proper meal since Tuesday. “We are surviving only on chura-dahi (flattened rice and curd) and sattu (roasted gram flour),” Mr. Rahul said on Wednesday. Like lakhs of other students, both are enrolled at the nearby coaching institute to prepare for competitive examinations for government jobs. They, along with their friend Shrawan Kumar, tried getting their LPG cylinder refilled, but without success.

Earlier, refilling a small LPG cylinder cost about ₹100, but since the shortage began due to conflict in West Asia, they have been paying ₹300 to ₹350. “If the crisis continues, we will go back to our village. It is better to return home than fall sick or remain hungry here,” they said. Their friend Guddu Yadav, 28, hailing from Supaul district like them, said they are waiting only for the State government’s Assistant Education Development Officer (ADEO) examination scheduled from April 14-20. “Otherwise, there is no point staying here in such a situation,” Mr. Yadav said.

Food prices go up

Even roadside hotels have raised meal prices from ₹10 to ₹40, the students complained. “Our parents are asking us to come back home, saying health is more important… Black marketing of LPG refills for students is happening openly. Has the government not noticed?” said Mr. Prahalad. The State government, however, has said there is no shortage of LPG cylinders.

Students carrying empty cylinders could be seen in several lanes of Musallahpur Hatt, Bazar Samiti, and Saidpur Nahar areas – the main coaching hub of Patna. Outside Gyan Bindu GS Academy, hundreds of students walked out after classes, but attendance has fallen. A staff member at the reception admitted there had been a sharp drop since the LPG shortage began. At the nearby coaching institute run by Faisal Khan, popularly known as Khan Sir, an office staff member told The Hindu that the crisis has affected attendance. 

Back to coal

Rajendra Yadav, who runs Mohit Library at Saidpur Nahar Road for about 200 students, said attendance has dropped from 210 to nearly 100. “The impact on students’ lives in the city is bad,” he said. At Shree Sai Girls Hostel, cooking has shifted from LPG to coal to feed over 100 students paying ₹6,000-7,000 per month. Magadh Mahila College principal Nagendra Verma has written to the Patna District Magistrate about the shortage. “For 10 days, we have not received any LPG supply. We have shifted to coal and wood, and the hostel menu had to be changed,” Mr. Verma told The Hindu.

However, at Saidpur Boys Hostel of Patna University, students cooking on electric heaters say they have not been affected. “We have no mess here and we do not face any crisis,” said a boarder, Anish Kumar. Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav blamed the government. “The crisis of LPG, petrol and diesel will increase further, and it is a failure of foreign policy,” he said.