The central government recently announced that prices of gas cylinders would be hiked if one buys more than six cylinders in a year.
“We have created a big stock of cow-dung cakes in our house, as there has lately been a major increase in the demand for them in nearby areas. People living on the outskirts of the city and in rural areas have, once again, turned to cow-dung cakes as fuel for cooking,” said Satnam Singh, a dairy owner.
“We cannot afford to buy a cylinder for Rs. 850, so we have started using cow-dung cakes. We have not stopped using LPG cylinders completely, but have reduced our usage in order to save money,” said Pratap Singh, a shopkeeper.
“Cow-dung cakes are available for about Rs.2 per piece. Using cow-dung cakes as fuel is the only option left for us, as prices of wood have also been increased,” Singh said.
“We have installed a biogas plant on our terrace, where we put in 2 kg. of vegetable waste to get sufficient cooking gas to cook food for 6 members of a family, every day,” said Sukhwant Singh, a businessman.
“I think many will start adopting similar methods if the prices of LPG continue to increase,” he said.