PUNE, March 13 -- Constraints in LPG availability in India caused by the ongoing West Asia conflict have now hit the city's vast network of student messes, leaving thousands of students uncertain about their daily meals. Pune, widely known as an educational hub - is witnessing a crisis as the supply of commercial LPG cylinders becomes increasingly irregular. Mess operators in traditional student localities have reported difficulty in procuring cylinders, forcing many to raise meal prices even as others consider a temporary shutdown. For students, the disruption is already affecting their daily routines and budgets. So much so that several students are now searching for smaller household kitchens or eateries that still manage to cook. Sarang Dukare, a student from Marathwada, said, "Most of us depend on affordable mess services for two meals a day. With some messes closing and others increasing prices, we are now trying to find small household messes in nearby lanes. Now two of us share a single tiffin because we simply cannot afford the higher rates." Shubhangi Bhong, a student from Vidarbha, said that the uncertainty is making it difficult to manage expenses. "Our budgets are already tight. If mess rates go up or they shut down, we will be left with no option but to look for cheaper alternatives," she said. Aditi Reddy, a Ph.D. scholar at CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory who hails from Karnataka, said that the disruption is already affecting daily meal arrangements. "I stay in a paying guest accommodation and rely on a tiffin service. Today, my tiffin was not delivered and I was informed that the service will remain unavailable for the next three days," she said. Mess operators claim the shortage has left them with little choice. Ganesh Khatane, who runs a commercial mess serving over 300 students, said the crisis escalated after supplies from distributors became irregular....