A severe shortage of LPG has made it impossible for many to cook food, pushing workers to the brink.
At the crowded Udhna Railway Station, families are making difficult choices, even as work remains available in the city’s textile units.
Speaking about the crisis with news agency ANI, one migrant worker, Sachin, said, “We are going to the village because we have not been getting gas for the last few days. Our companies are also shutting down… We don’t have money, that’s why we are going back. Nobody is helping us here… We will return once the gas supply resumes. Many people are going back.”
The situation has spiralled into a full-blown affordability and access crisis. Workers allege that LPG is being sold at an exorbitant Rs 500 per kilogram, well beyond their means.
For many, the shortage has lasted weeks.
Seema Devi, another migrant worker, described her ordeal: “I am going back to my village because of the gas issue… Our accounts are getting closed… And we do not have money. We haven’t been getting gas for the last 15 days. Our gas ran out a week ago, and then it was announced that there was a gas shortage. After that, we informed the gas agency, but we are still not getting it. My daughter and I are going back, while my husband and two children are being left here. We are not getting even the small cylinders.”
Even traditional coping mechanisms have been shut off. Many workers say they are not allowed to cook using firewood in rented accommodations due to safety concerns and property damage.