LPG shortage turns back the clock: Coal, stoves & dung cakes make comeback

Darjeeling: Never in her wildest dream had Madhumita Sen imagined that the conventional coal-fired oven, fueled by the humble cow dung cakes, would return to her kitchen, that too in the role of a saviour. However, with the ongoing LPG crisis, this is exactly what has happened. With LPG cylinders a rare commodity and electric induction cooktops sold out in most stores, many have turned to this smoky solution in Siliguri.

“I had run out of LPG and could not fathom when a cylinder would be available. Next, I turned to electric induction cooktops but that too our local stores had run out.

A neighbour told me that cow dung cakes were being sold along with conventional coal-fired ovens. As I don’t stay in a flat and smoke is not a problem. I opted for this. It brings back memories of childhood,” stated Sen, a resident of Siliguri.

A dung-cake market has sprung up on Burdwan Road in Siliguri, where the earthen ovens are also being sold. “Earlier, there were two persons who used to sell the cow dung cakes here, charging Rs. 1 per cake. Now there are many selling cakes and ovens. The price has gone up to Rs. 10 for 4 pieces,” stated a buyer.

“We source the cow dung cakes from the cow sheds (Khatals.) They are charging us Rs. 2 per cake and we are selling for Rs. 2.50p. There is good demand,” stated Shanti Das, seller.

With the LPG crisis, people are groping around for alternatives, with electric induction cooktops being a common preference.

The past few days have seen a boom in sales, with all the stores in Darjeeling running out of stock. The situation is the same in Siliguri.

“Earlier, we used to sell around 10 to 12 electric cooktops per month on average. In the past few days, I sold around 150 cooktops.

Today I got a fresh stock of around 80, which were sold out by 1 pm. Even the distributors in Siliguri have run out. We have placed an advance order for around 100 pieces,” said Ajay Agarwal of Anup Sales, Darjeeling.

Even large departmental stores in Darjeeling have run out and are awaiting fresh stocks. “I tried to buy an electric cooktop online.

Only the high-end ones, costing a fortune, are available. The mid-range ones are all sold out. There is no other option than to wait,” stated Passang Tamang, a resident.