Karnataka Households Cut to One Daily Meal as LPG Shortage Forces Food Habit Changes

A shortage of LPG cylinders in Karnataka is forcing many low-income households to drastically alter daily food habits, with families reducing cooking frequency, skipping certain dishes and turning to alternative fuels. For many residents, the shortage has become more than a supply problem, directly affecting nutrition, routine and household stability.

In several working-class neighbourhoods of Bengaluru, families say they now cook only once a day to conserve limited fuel. Meals are being planned around necessity rather than preference, with fuel-intensive dishes disappearing from kitchens. Households that once prepared separate breakfasts, lunches and dinners are increasingly relying on one large meal that can last through the day.

Geetha, a 30-year-old domestic worker in northeast Bengaluru, said the kitchen has become a source of constant stress. Without a cylinder, she and others reportedly wait until late at night to cook over roadside wood fires and prepare food for the next day. As a mother of two, she said the family still has to manage work, school and household responsibilities despite the disruption.

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Residents also say the shortage has triggered black-market pricing, placing cylinders beyond the reach of poorer families. Geetha said she cannot afford unofficial cylinders reportedly being sold for around ₹5,000. While some households with open space can temporarily use firewood, many urban families living in cramped rented rooms or apartment clusters have no safe or practical alternative.

The situation highlights how supply disruptions can hit vulnerable communities hardest. Beyond inconvenience, reduced cooking frequency may affect health, especially for children, elderly people and workers who depend on regular meals. Unless supply normalises soon, many families in Karnataka may continue adjusting diets, meal timing and daily life around the scarcity of a basic household necessity.

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