Berhampur: Hundreds of migrant workers employed in Surat have started returning to their native places in Ganjam district amid the ongoing LPG crisis in the textile city.Generally, migrant workers return home before Vishuba Sankranti on April 14 to participate in local rituals. But due to the non-availability of cooking gas, and reduced production in the textile units of Surat, many migrant workers have been forced to leave the Gujarat city early.
“We had planned to return in the first week and to return in the third week of April. Due to non-availability of cooking gas in the open market in Surat following conflict in West Asia, we have returned home early,” said Mitu Pradhan of Kuarpani village.Around seven lakh migrant workers from Ganjam district are working in different sectors in Surat, with majority of them in the textile units.Akula Bhanaj Pradhan of Charikonia, who returned on March 15, said he was not planning to return to his village this time for Sankranti, but the LPG crisis forced him to change his plan.“As we have no LPG registration, we used to get our small cylinder (5kg) filled at the refilling centre for around Rs 500. The centre has now been asking between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000 amid shortage of cooking gas. We can’t afford to buy cooking gas at such a high price and decided to return to the village,” said Akula.Several textile units have also cut short production days due to the shortage of industrial LPG. Gas was needed to make the finished product, said another worker. “We will return to the work place only after the situation returns to normal,” Akula added.Not only Odias, workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal have also started leaving due to the LPG crisis, said another worker.Migrant workers from Odisha who have the LPG domestic connection in Surat are not facing too many problems in procuring gas cylinders. “Earlier we used to get a cylinder within 3-4 days after booking. Now, we are getting the same in 10-12 days,” said Banabasi Pradhan, an Odia worker.
