Shillong, March 26 A community kitchen in Meghalaya that served meals to nearly 200 people daily for just ₹5 has shut down for the first time in years due to a severe shortage of LPG, 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 conflict in West Asia, 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 ₹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