CHENNAI: A shortage of LPG cylinders has hit Amma Canteens across the city, forcing authorities to trim menus and scale down food production, with chapatis dropped in several outlets and idli output halved in many others.
Field visits to canteens in Egmore and Triplicane on Wednesday revealed that workers have been instructed to reduce cooking due to inadequate gas supply. Chapatis, which require more fuel, have been stopped at several locations, while idli preparation has been significantly reduced.
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), which operates 383 Amma Canteens, has also shifted to a hub-based cooking model in some areas. Food is now prepared at select centres and distributed to over 18 nearby canteens to keep services running.
“Earlier, more than 300 cylinders were supplied daily. Now it has dropped to around 150,” a Corporation official said.
On the ground, workers reported sharp declines in supply over the past 10 days. At the Gengu Reddy Subway canteen in Egmore, weekly cylinder supply has fallen from five to two, reducing idli output from 350 to 150 per day. In Chintadripet, supply has dropped to two or three cylinders a week, with idli numbers cut from 500 to 300 and evening chapatis replaced with idlis.
In Triplicane, idli production has come down from 600 to 350, while chapati numbers have been halved. However, the canteen at the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children campus continues to function normally despite instructions to suspend chapati preparation.
Officials assured that normal operations would resume once LPG cylinder supplies stabilise