Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A shortage of LPG cylinders and rising prices are forcing migrant workers in Madhya Pradesh to abandon their jobs and return to their native villages.
Daily-wage earners, already struggling with limited incomes, said they cannot afford gas at inflated rates and are often going without proper meals.
At Bhopal railway station, groups of migrant labourers carrying bags and bedding have become a common sight in recent days as they wait to return home.
Workers from Govindpura and Bagroda industrial areas said that despite having jobs, they are being forced to leave due to the unavailability and high cost of cooking gas.
Several workers alleged that LPG in the open market is being sold at double the usual price, which is beyond their reach. With limited incomes and rising living expenses, many said they have been going without proper food for days.
Manoj, a daily-wage labourer working in Acharpura and heading to his village near Kanpur, said he had no option but to leave. I am returning home because I cannot get LPG here. Even if it is available, I cannot afford at this rate. My earnings are too low to buy such expensive gas or eat outside every day, he said.
Another worker, Shankar, said he has been trying to refill his cylinder for the past 10 days without success. The local supplier says he has no cylinders left. If he does not have stock, how will he give us gas, he said, adding that he is vacating his rented room in Govindpura and returning to Gorakhpur for two to three months.
Similarly, Arvind and Nilesh, who work at a fabrication factory in Bagroda, said they ran out of gas and tried to cook using firewood in the open but were stopped by their landlord. We have no gas, no permission to use wood and cannot afford to eat outside daily, they said. The duo has decided to return to Madhubani in Bihar and plans to come back only after the situation improves.
Rishita Tomar
