Patancheru canteens cut meals amid gas crisis
SANGAREDDY: Industrial canteens in Patancheru have reduced food items due to a cooking gas shortage, leaving workers with limited meals.
Gas shortage forces cuts in chapatis, curries
Many factories in the Patancheru constituency of Sangareddy district have outsourced canteen operations to contractors. Industries such as Aurobindo Pharma, MSN Laboratories and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories run canteens mainly for workers, including those from northern states who depend on chapatis.
Canteen operators said chapatis consume large amounts of gas. “The gas used to cook five chapatis can steam nearly 40 idlis,” a contractor said. As a result, chapatis and curries have been reduced in meals.
In several factories, workers receive limited food portions. Some canteens have also stopped serving vegetable curries.
Steam pipelines, briquettes used as alternatives
Menus have dropped items such as sambar, rasam and pulusu that require cooking gas. Instead, canteens serve raw pulusu and vegetable chutneys that need no cooking.
Several places have also stopped breakfast items. Workers said they are forced to work on half-filled stomachs and struggle as canteen prices have increased despite reduced meals.
Some workers said they now bring food from home for all three meals.
Due to the gas shortage, some industries have altered cooking methods in their canteens. Steam pipelines used to heat chemicals in factories are being connected to kitchens to cook food.
In boilers, coal is burned to heat water and generate steam, which normally heats chemicals in reactors. The same steam is now used for cooking. Some canteens are also using briquettes made from wood and coal that release high heat when burned.
