An LPG crisis, triggered by the West Asia war, is forcing migrant labourers from Bihar to return home from various cities. Facing shortages and exorbitant black market prices, they are unable to afford cooking gas and are reverting to firewood.
The ongoing war in West Asia has triggered an LPG crisis in India. Owing to the shortage, several migrant labourers from Bihar, working in various cities across the country, are being forced to return to their hometowns, leading to increased crowds on trains.
At the Patna railway station, labourers arriving from Punjab and Delhi shared that they were compelled to return home because securing LPG had become increasingly difficult. Many workers mentioned that they were facing unusually long wait times for refills, while others claimed that gas was being sold in the black market at exorbitant prices that they simply could not afford. The labourers stated that due to no access to gas, they chose to leave their jobs and return to Bihar, where they can at least cook their meals using traditional firewood and clay stoves (chulhas).
Labourers Share Their Plight
Speaking with ANI, a labourer, Sunil, who worked as a painter, said that their daily wages are unable to bear the increased cost of a cylinder, forcing them to move to their hometown. "There's a problem: gas is not available; it's expensive. I work as a painter. The daily wage is not even enough for food. That's why we've come back home. Now we have to manage here somehow. Even if gas is available, you have to pay a lot of money. It's expensive. They say 300-400 rupees a kilo. We earn 400-500, so how can we send money home? What will we eat there? That's why we fled from there," he said.
Another labourer, Mohammad Alam Khan, said the shortage has added to their troubles, stating that now he gathers wood from the forest, cook on it and then get to work. "There's trouble everywhere. It's not just me. We gather wood from the forest, cook on it, eat, stay, and work. Work stopped, so we left. Now that work has opened up, we're going back. Gas is a problem in every area. It's everywhere. It's not just me. The ones who buy and sell in black, only they would know. We don't buy in black. We aren't that rich to buy in black. We're poor people. We earn, eat, stay, and do our work. What else?" he said.
Subsequently, a man named Gajender Kumar, coming from New Delhi, said that the gas is only available in black market and it costs around Rs 4000, forcing them to leave and use firewood in their hometowns. "Gas is not available, so I've come back to my village. We can only get gas from the black market, and it costs 4,000 rupees. People from Bihar don't have connections there. That's why I'm back home where everything is available, like firewood. I had to leave my job because of the difficulties," he said.
Another man named Devanand Kumar, coming from Punjab, said that he left his job due to the unavailability of gas, threatening their basic necessities for survival in the city. "We have to stand in long lines for gas. It used to be cheap and easy to get. Now it's not available. I left my job because of this. You can't even get firewood there. It's better at home. How can you eat if you can't cook? It's very difficult for those who earn daily wages."
A woman named Rinki Kumari said that she has three children to look after, and the shortage of gas and increased prices in the black market have made it difficult for her to survive in her hometown. "Gas is not available except in the black market for 4,000 rupees or 350 rupees per kilo. It's too expensive. How can we afford that? I have three children and my salary is low. That's why I've come back home to be with family. There's no firewood in the town, but in the village, we have it," she said.
Government Responds to Supply Concerns
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Friday said the government is making all efforts to ensure availability of Petrol, Diesel and LPG, and citizens are advised to avoid panic purchase of Petrol and Diesel as well as unnecessary booking of LPG. Talking about the supply status of LPG, the Ministry said, "Supply of LPG is affected due to the prevailing geopolitical situation. Despite this, no reported dry-out at LPG distributorships. Online LPG cylinder bookings increased to 94% on an industry basis yesterday. To prevent diversion at the distributor level, Delivery Authentication Code (DAC) based deliveries have been increased from 53% (Feb-2026) to 86% yesterday. Around 55 Lakh Domestic LPG Cylinders were delivered on Thursday (4 April 2026). (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)