India, March 17 -- A quiet food crisis is beginning to simmer inside the hostels and canteens of Jawaharlal Nehru University. With cooking gas supplies reduced, staple items such as roti and poori are slowly disappearing from campus menus, leaving students worried about further cuts and a possible rise in food costs.

The change began after gas supplier Indraprastha Gas Limited imposed a 20 per cent reduction in supply to industrial and commercial consumers earlier this month. The restriction has forced hostel mess committees and campus eateries to revise food plans in order to keep kitchens running.

At Lohit Hostel, the impact has already reached the dining table. According to a revised menu issued by the hostel mess committee, rotis wi...