The increasing cost of cooking gas has doused the flames of one community kitchen at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) while the other is struggling.
The kitchen in the State run hospital, that serves food for the patients’ family staying at there, requires over 32 liquefied Petroleum Gas (lPG) cylinders per month which the RIMS administration buys at the market price of `1,346 per cylinder, around three times more than the subsidies rate `460.
The increasing price of cylinder has led to increase in the charges a patients’ relative has to pay for using the facility.
“Earlier the charge was `12 per hour. As the price of lPG cylinder raised the charges for using the stove also went up. The current price for availing the service is `250,” said Community Kitchen Operator Pranav Kumar.
He further added that due to price hike a steep decline has been witnessed in the number of users. From 300 the number is hovering around five to ten.
The community kitchen — first of its kind in eastern India — was inaugurated in RIMS on June 28, 2010, with the objective that the families of the poor patients can have home style food and save money.
When the system was started under the corporate social responsibility of IOCl, the charge was only `2 for 15 minutes. later it increased to `7 for 15 minutes, further it became `27 per hour then `50 and now is `250 per hour.
Most of the people who use the community kitchen are from deprived section of the society. Their condition is so poor that neither they can afford private medical care for their relatives nor can they buy food from the local eateries.
Sabita Devi who is accompanying her husband in the hospital from few months said, “One of my relative had told me that I can prepare food by paying `12 per hour but after hearing the charges I prefer to buy food from nearby dhaba.”
Another lady said, “Earlier we use to make food at the community kitchen but now we don’t dare to step in.”
The kitchen on ground floor at RIMS is open from
5 am to 7 am and then in the evening from 5 pm to 9 pm.