Your fave roll, chowmein to pinch pockets this Durga Puja as LPG and kitchen staples bite

Kolkata: The joy of hopping from one pandal to another through the night, stopping occasionally for an egg roll, a fish fry or a steaming plate of momo is about to become a costlier affair this Durga Puja. Struggling with soaring input prices, street-food vendors are preparing to pass on at least a part of the burden to the customers.In recent weeks, commercial LPG rates have risen by Rs 70 per cylinder, onions have crossed Rs 70 a kg and eggs, sugar and maida have become dearer, weighing heavily on kitchen budgets.The price shock comes just as thousands of temporary food counters prepare to spring up along popular pandal-hopping routes. From Rashbehari Avenue and Gariahat to Esplanade and north Kolkata, vendors who depend on the festive rush say their profit margins are being squeezed even before the celebrations begin.Commercial LPG, indispensable for roadside kitchens, now costs Rs 2,954 for a 19kg cylinder in Kolkata, up from Rs 2,884 in Sept. The revised rate took effect on Oct 1. The increase has coincided with higher prices of several ingredients essential to the city’s street-food economy.“Earlier, we could absorb small increases in the prices of ingredients because Durga Puja brought higher sales. But this time, almost everything has become costlier — cooking gas, onions, eggs, maida and sugar. We can’t continue selling rolls and chowmein at the old rates without compromising our earnings. Customers may have to pay a little more,” said Shankar Rakshit, a fast-food vendor on Rashbehari Avenue.Maida, the principal ingredient in rolls, parathas and several fried snacks, is selling for Rs 38 to Rs 52 a kg in wholesale markets, depending on quality. Rising egg prices have added to the cost of egg rolls, egg chowmein and egg-toast.Sugar, another essential ingredient for tea stalls, sweet shops and bakeries, has also become dearer. Bakers have already raised prices of bread and cake and the inflationary pressure is now spreading to roadside eateries.At Esplanade, where food stalls cater to commuters, shoppers and pandal-hoppers, traders fear a sharp price hike could hurt sales. “Puja is the biggest earning season for many of us. But customers are also price-conscious. If we increase the price of every item, some may buy less. Yet maintaining the old rates is becoming increasingly difficult. We are caught between rising costs and customers’ expectations,” said street-food seller Raghu Pradhan.The squeeze is unlikely to remain confined to makeshift counters. Small restaurants, fast-food outlets and takeaway kitchens that depend on commercial LPG and daily purchases of vegetables, eggs and flour are also vulnerable to the price escalation.For habitual pandal-hoppers, food is as much a part of the festival as the pandals themselves. “We plan our puja outings around food stops. An egg roll here, a plate of chowmein there, followed by tea and sweets — that is part of the excitement. But when every stop becomes more expensive, the combined bill for an entire family can be substantial. This year, we may have to budget for food as carefully as transport,” said Lalit Bhagat, an enthusiastic pandal-hopper.The result could be a distinctly more expensive puja food trail, with both vendors and customers counting the cost of festive indulgence.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolkata | Silver Rate in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Petrol Price in Kolkata | Diesel Price in Kolkata | CNG Price in Kolkata | LPG Price in KolkataStay updated with the latest Kolkata news. Download the TOI App.