Shillong, Mar 26 (PTI) A community kitchen in Meghalaya that served meals to nearly 200 people daily for just Rs 5 has shut down for the first time in years due to acute LPG shortage, officials said on Thursday.
After 3,858 days of uninterrupted service, the kitchen at Jhalupara Taxi Stand here suspended operations indefinitely on Wednesday as cooking gas became unavailable, with the disruption being linked to the ongoing West Asia conflict, they said.
The closure comes even as officials claim that adequate LPG supplies are available, a position that appears increasingly at odds with the ground situation, where access to the essential fuel has tightened.
Launched in 2018 by the Ardhendu Chaudhuri Charitable Trust, the Aahar community kitchen had become a vital support system for daily wage earners, drivers and the urban poor.
For 65-year-old Bablu Chettri, the shutdown has come as a major setback as he relied on the kitchen for a Rs 5 meal.
“They provided simple vegetarian meals and served consistently without interruption for years. I am too old to return to work, and whatever amount I have is what kind neighbours helped me with,” the former coolie at Bara Bazaar told PTI.
Members of Team Aahar said the decision to halt operations was taken after exhausting all possible avenues to procure LPG cylinders.
Trustee member Vibuthi Chakraborty said this was the first time the service had stopped, and not for lack of effort.
“We reached out to multiple agencies and outlets, but could not secure a single cylinder,” he said.
“For years, over 200 people were fed every day without fail. Today, that chain has snapped,” he added, voicing concern for those who depended on the meal as a daily certainty.
For many beneficiaries, the kitchen was not just a source of food but a means of survival with dignity.
A conflict unfolding thousands of kilometres away has now impacted a small kitchen set up for the poor in Shillong, interrupting a service that stood as a symbol of compassion and consistency.
The team, however, expressed hope of resuming operations as soon as LPG supplies are restored.
Until then, Aahar remains silent, its absence felt most by those who relied on it every single day.
The shortage of LPGs has also affected the hospitality industry, with many hotels and restaurants limiting their menus. PTI JOP MNB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.