In New Delhi, April 8 Some migrants concealed their departure by staging fake family events, while others openly admitted the situation, but all left with heavy bags and heavy hearts. The shortage of LPG cylinders is forcing migrants to return to their villages, hoping that their separation from their home will be temporary.
Railway stations across Delhi-NCR appear busier than usual. Hundreds of migrant laborers are leaving with their belongings – mattresses, utensils, and multiple bags piled high on their heads and shoulders.
The reasons include a shortage of LPG cylinders, delays in refilling, and soaring prices in the black market.
Radhey Sham, 38, who works as a gig worker during the day and a security guard at night, expressed his disappointment. He decided to return to his village in Bithoor, Uttar Pradesh, after multiple unsuccessful attempts to obtain an LPG cylinder.
Standing in line at Anand Vihar Railway Station to buy tickets, accompanied by his Blinkit delivery bag, he worries about his four children.
"Even after doing multiple jobs, I only earn around Rs 20,000. My wife works nearby and earns another Rs 5,000. I have two grown-up children to care for. Managing expenses has already been difficult. How can I afford Rs 3,000 for an LPG cylinder?"
"I decided it's better to leave and save on rent. We can still cook on a chulha in the village. Hopefully, things will improve in a month, and I'll be back," Shyam said, his voice filled with hope, as his wife and children tried to comfort him.
Suman Verma also faced similar circumstances. However, either out of hesitation or shame, the 29-year-old daily wager, carrying multiple gunny bags, admitted that he was leaving for a wedding.
His 5-year-old son, Anshu Verma, quickly revealed the truth when his father stepped away to buy tickets for Bihar at the New Delhi Railway Station.
"We all know the real reason. A lockdown is about to happen. My father said all shops will close, and we won't be able to return later. We had already run out of gas, and my mother was cooking on a makeshift stove," Anshu said, displaying a maturity beyond his age.
The subsidized 14.2-kg LPG cylinders, currently priced at Rs 913 in Delhi for regular domestic connections, were previously accessible to migrant laborers – without proper documentation or household connections – at a premium of Rs 100–200. Now, these same cylinders are being sold on the black market for Rs 3,000 or more.
There is also a shortage of 5-kg LPG cylinders, which are typically available through distributors without requiring a formal connection.
On Tuesday, the government announced that it had doubled the daily quota of 5-kg LPG cylinders for migrant workers, as part of efforts to stabilize fuel supplies amid disruptions linked to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.
Porters, who witness the daily activity at these railway stations, confirm the migrant exodus.
"The New Delhi Railway Station is always crowded, but yes, there has been a noticeable surge lately. I talk to the people, the migrant laborers moving out with their families, and they say, 'lockdown hone wala hai.'"
"Most of them are leaving because of the LPG crisis. Their earnings are low, but expenses are high. Honestly, if things don't improve, even I'm thinking of leaving," said Jagdish, who has been working as a porter for several years.
For Vishnu Kumar, 25, standing quietly beside his duffel bag and waiting for the train, returning home to Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh, was a clear choice after his employer, a restaurateur in Noida, asked him to find a new job.
Kumar, who had come to Delhi two years ago to work as a cook, was forced to grapple with both joblessness and the rising cost of fuel.
"My employer himself wasn't sure if he could keep the business running. How could he keep me on the job? We were four people working under him, and now it's just the owner and one more."
"The rest of us, who aren't originally from the city, were asked to leave. It doesn't make sense to stay here without work. I'll go home, figure things out, and see if I can find a job there," Kumar said, with no immediate plans to return.
An elderly couple waited patiently at the Anand Vihar station, surrounded by bags bursting at the seams. Unlike Kumar, the LPG crisis wasn't the first reason for their departure, but it became the final push.
Om Prakash, the husband, ran a small vegetable stall for years in Noida's Chhalera village, earning just enough to get by.
With rising inflation and their children married off, the couple had long considered returning to their native village in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, where life is simpler, and resources are affordable.
"The LPG was the last straw. We had to borrow an induction stove to cook. It became too difficult to live here. In the village, we can manage, eat, and sleep peacefully. It's not easy to leave after so many years, but this is better for us now," he said, with his wife Nirmala nodding in agreement.