Bengaluru: Many switch from charcoal to LPG iron box to keep business afloat

BENGALURU: Charcoal or electric iron boxes are conventionally used by roadside ironwallahs. The Covid-19 crisis has led to many of them employing another tool — LPG-powered iron box.
Such iron boxes are now a common sight at mobile and roadside shops in parts of central Bengaluru. Stall owners say they are more economical and user-friendly.
P Muthulakshmi has been ironing clothes for a living for nine years and the Covid-induced lockdown dealt a heavy blow to her business. “When the lockdown began, our charcoal suppliers left Bengaluru and returned to their villages. The LPG iron box came as a saviour during those months. We could afford two square meals with the money I made,” says the 45-year-old who works on Prime Street in Richmond Town.