New Delhi: As the ongoing West Asia tensions have sent natural gas and oil prices across the globe soaring, multiple cities in India are on the front line of the crisis and experiencing direct and indirect consequences of the Israel-US and Iran conflict. Delhi is also among the cities that are facing the brunt of this crisis.
Migrant workers are among the most severely affected by the ongoing LPG shortage. The city is home to lakhs of migrant workers who move here from several states, primarily from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand, to earn a livelihood as domestic help, labourers and street vendors.
However, the LPG crunch has led to the mass closure of several restaurants and hotels across the city, forcing some of the workers to return to their hometowns.
Panic has gripped the city over reports of LPG shortage, even as the Delhi government and oil companies are trying to allay fears and assure that there is no such crunch.
“We are not able to get an LPG cylinder. We are forced to use wood for cooking. If the situation remains the same, we might have to leave the city and go back to our village,” a domestic help working in Delhi said.
Meanwhile, a restaurant owner said that they are trying to retain their staff from other states, fearing that if migrant workers leave now, they may not return until the situation is back to normal.
Not just in Delhi, migrant workers in Kerala, Gujarat, and other states are also facing hardship.