Bathinda, March 14 -- The langar at the Bathinda-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where an estimated 10,000 attendants and OPD patients partake free community meals daily, has been hit by the restrictions imposed on LPG cylinder supply. The voluntary service is being run by Shabeg Singh, a native of Jodhpur Romana village in the district, since AIIMS was established in 2019. Popularly called "langar wale baba ji", the philanthropist said he had suspended serving rotis, dal and vegetables to the hospital visitors due to a paucity of gas cylinders. "Our weekly requirement of LPG is 50 cylinders, but we have not received a single cylinder in almost a week. The automatic roti-making machine runs on gas, and in the absence of supplies, we have to stop serving rotis due to the lack of required fuel," said Singh, who is assisted by several volunteers for cooking and serving meals and tea every day. Assisted by volunteers, the langar is prepared at a gurdwara located adjacent to AIIMS. Officials at AIIMS said it was the only hospital in North India where volunteers were allowed to serve food to OPD visitors. Singh said five to six quintals of wheat flour were used to prepare rotis, and the machine ran on eight cylinders. "We have switched to preparing kadhi-rice and khichri using firewood, as these two food items require less energy. But our community kitchen initiative has been severely hit. We urge the authorities to ensure a supply of cylinders, as arranging wood to prepare enormous amounts of food for the needy has become a Herculean task," he added. The social activist has also appealed to villagers to supply rotis to feed the visitors at the hospital. After losing several family members, including his wife, three brothers and four nephews to accidents or natural death within a span of three years until 2010, Shabeg left his work at a cotton ginning factory and an oil mill to start community welfare work. Bathinda district food and civil supplies officer Daljit Singh said the authorities could consider providing gas cylinders if Singh submitted a representation and the initiative met the required conditions for such supplies....