Surat, a major industrial hub for textiles and diamonds, has a large migrant population. A study by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore during the COVID-19 lockdown estimated that around 4.18 million migrant workers live in the city, accounting for nearly 58 per cent of its population.
Most are employed as contract or daily wage labourers in sectors such as textile manufacturing, dyeing, embroidery, construction and diamond cutting and polishing. The return of migrant workers is likely to disrupt these labour-intensive industries in the city, which depend heavily on a steady migrant workforce.
The current situation has drawn comparisons with the COVID-19 lockdown, when large numbers of workers returned to their villages. However, those working closely with migrant communities say this crisis is different and possibly worse.
“This is the first instance of people leaving the city in this manner due to lack of cooking gas,” said Krishna Avtar Sharma, co-founder of Aajeevika Bureau, an organisation working with migrant workers. “Even if supply returns to normal, it will take a long time for the situation to stabilise.”
In several areas, families have already begun leaving. Children were sent back to villages soon after exams ended in March, as parents struggled to manage food and fuel shortages.
While cylinders were earlier available in informal markets for around Rs 1,000, prices reportedly rose to Rs 3,000-4,000 during the crisis. Following stricter enforcement, even these supplies dried up.
Migrant labourers have been coming to Surat for decades, and many families have settled in the city permanently. Ashwin is one of them. His father migrated from Odisha in search of work and stayed on, and Ashwin was born and raised in Surat. He says that while his own neighbourhood has access to piped gas, many other areas depend on LPG cylinders. “In those places, most families from Odisha have returned to their villages because they cannot get cylinders,” he said.