Even as LPG supply to some commercial establishments in Pune has partially resumed, food prices across several mess facilities and eateries in the city’s student hubs, including Narayan Peth, Sadashiv Peth and Navi Peth, have shown little sign of coming down, squeezing the already tight budgets of thousands of civil services aspirants.

For Gaurav Gavare, an MPSC aspirant from Shirdi who lives in Narayan Peth, the difference is clear. “The thali we used to get for Rs 50 costs around Rs 70 now, and that priced at Rs 70 has now climbed to Rs 85-90 at the alternatives still open,” he said.

Even his morning tea and coffee has not been spared: prices have gone up by Rs 2 to Rs 5 per cup, and Gavare notes that despite the resumption of LPG supply to some establishments, rates have continued to remain elevated.

The same story plays out in Sadashiv Peth. Ajay Sonawane, who is preparing for technical services examinations, says breakfast items like poha and upma, once a Rs 20 staple, now cost Rs 25. Monthly mess charges, which covered two meals a day for Rs 3,000, have risen to anywhere between Rs 3,500 and Rs 3,800.

Some mess owners, he adds, are asking students to pay in advance at the start of the month to help manage their expenses. “It is very unlikely that the prices will be revised back to their original levels as they were before the LPG crunch, even after streamlined supply,” Sonawane said.

“Also, we are paying more for thali, which has reduced its food items to just chapati, one vegetable curry, and rice. If we make vegetable curry at home, a cheaper option, and purchase chapati or Bhakri from eateries, they have also increased the rates. Per piece of chapati has increased from Rs 5 to Rs 7, and of Bhakri from Rs 12 to Rs 12-20,” added another aspirant, Ramesh Irlawar, based in Dattawadi.

For aspirants who map out every rupee of their monthly expenditure, such increases are a major inconvenience.

Akshay Killedar, a UPSC aspirant also based in Navi Peth, says: “We already budget every rupee and structure our entire day around study hours. When something as basic as a simple thali becomes costly and sometimes uncertain, it becomes difficult to manage the monthly expenses.”

On the supply side, there are signs of some relief. Ganesh Shetty, president of the Pune Restaurants and Hoteliers Association (PRAHA), said commercial LPG supply resumed recently, with establishments receiving one or two cylinders depending on their scale of operation.

“Around 30 to 40 percent hoteliers have received the commercial gas cylinder. It is a relief, particularly to small eateries that serve civil services aspirants, daily wage workers and the overall student community,” he said.

However, Shetty added that whether the supply would be consistent could only be confirmed after the next round of LPG distribution.