LPG-run iron comes in aid of Odisha ironer, increases his earnings

The 38-year-old ironer in Basudev Nagar here felt it was very difficult to stand near the hot coal-based iron all through the day and press clothes.Santosh, however, changed his mind after one of the customers advised him to go for an LPG-run iron, which will be easy for him to operate.Since then, he has been ironing more dresses and his income also increased by Rs 200 to Rs 300 per day, said Santosh, a school dropout.

Two years ago, Santosh Sethi decided to quit ironing clothes. The 38-year-old ironer in Basudev Nagar here felt it was very difficult to stand near the hot coal-based iron all through the day and press clothes.

Santosh, however, changed his mind after one of the customers advised him to go for an LPG-run iron, which will be easy for him to operate.

Since then, he has been ironing more dresses and his income also increased by Rs 200 to Rs 300 per day, said Santosh, a school dropout. ''It’s smokeless and more effective. Now, I can iron more than 100 dresses as against 50 to 60 pieces using the coal-based iron,'' he said.

Santosh, who runs his laundry outlet from his residence, said earlier he used to face difficulty in getting coal on time. Also, dresses become dirty due to the dust and smoke of coal, he said. After using the LPG iron, all these problems have been solved, he added.

The LPG-based iron functions like a gas stove. It is connected to a cylinder through a gas pipe, which channels the gas into the iron. The flame can be controlled using both the knob of the cylinder as well as the switchs on the iron, he said.

Santosh, who claims he is the first person in the district to adopt such a machine, said he gets LPG cylinders without any problems.

As the government has reduced the price of domestic LPG cylinders by Rs 200 recently, Santosh hopes to earn more in the days to come. Even though several ironers in southern states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala have switched over to LPG-based iron boxes, in Odisha it is yet to become popular. ''It’s time the government provides LPG cylinders to ironers at subsidised rates,'' said Sudhir Rout, an environmental activist.

Laxmidhar Rout, associate professor of chemistry, Berhampur University, said burning of coal poses health risks for ironers, as it releases sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other toxic substances.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)