Osmania University plans firewood cooking amid gas cylinder shortage

Osmania University is considering returning to firewood cooking and reducing gas-intensive food items amid fears of a cooking gas cylinder shortage linked to the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war. Meanwhile, JNTU-Hyderabad said it currently has sufficient cooking gas supply

Hyderabad: Osmania University is reverting to retro cooking with firewood to tide over the cooking gas cylinder shortage due to the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war.

The university is considering this move following an alert from the gas agency over a possible disruption in gas cylinder supply to the university. For long, the university ran its kitchen on firewood and coal. However, last year, the varsity modernised its kitchens, doing away with traditional firewood cooking that had become a health hazard for mess workers.

---

Currently, the OU operates 18 hostels and an equal number of mess facilities, which dish out three meals for nearly 8,000 hostel inmates daily.

In addition, the university is considering suspending items such as roti, puri, vada and other food varieties that consume a lot of oil, time for preparation and gas. “Until the situation stabilises, we want to use gas cylinders judiciously. We will do away with roti and other food items that require a lot of time for preparation. We will hold a meeting and come up with an action plan,” university sources said.

Meanwhile, the JNTU-Hyderabad, as per a senior official, has no immediate problem with regard to cooking gas supply. “We have enough supply. Since this is a university, we asked the agency to refill the cylinders under the essential service,” the official said.