Haroli/Una, March 19 (Rajveer Chopra): The ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel is now having a visible impact on the Haroli Assembly constituency in Himachal Pradesh. A shortage of LPG gas cylinders has begun to deepen in the industrial area of ??Tahliwal, as well as in Nangal Kalan, Batt Kalan, Bathu Bathri, and surrounding villages.
This is having a direct impact on the Mid-Day Meal scheme provided to children in government schools. Sukhwinder Singh, the SMC (School Management Committee) President of a government school in Tahliwal, stated that their school's gas cylinders are on the verge of running out; however, they have received no satisfactory response from the gas agency, and their phone calls are going unanswered.
In several government schools across the region, gas cylinders have completely run out, disrupting meal arrangements for the children and causing growing anxiety among school management teams. Teacher Meena Kumari reported that a government school located in the Rahar locality of Bathu has been without a gas cylinder for the past week. The school management had been preparing Mid-Day Meals by borrowing cylinders from a nearby locality, but even that arrangement is now on the verge of collapse, as the borrowed cylinders are being reclaimed.
Schools do not have any spare cylinders available in reserve. School management officials state that gas agencies are now quoting a 15-day waiting period for deliveries and are requiring schools to place formal bookings—a departure from previous practice, where schools were provided with gas supplies separately and without the need for advance booking. Furthermore, gas delivery trucks are no longer reaching the area, and despite numerous attempts to establish contact, the agency remains unresponsive to their calls.
Pyare Lal, the Head Teacher at the Government School in Nangal Batt, confirmed that a formal request regarding this matter has been submitted to the Education Department. The situation remains similarly dire at the Primary School in Nangal Batt.
According to school management, when they contacted the Deepak Gas Agency located in Santokhgarh, they were informed that—acting on directives from higher authorities—gas supplies to temples and schools have been temporarily suspended.
This unfolding situation has also sparked growing concern among parents and local residents. They state that despite having placed bookings, they are unable to procure gas cylinders, a situation that could potentially impact the nutritional well-being of the children.
Conversely, the gas agency maintains that the school management must submit a written request detailing their monthly gas requirements, which will then be forwarded for further processing. Only after this step can the supply be guaranteed.
In this regard, Rajiv Sharma, District Controller of the Food and Supplies Department, Una, stated that LPG cylinders would be made available to government schools even without a prior booking. He further informed that the issue is being resolved through coordination with the gas agency operators, and gas supply to the schools will be restored shortly.