NOIDA: Through the first two weeks of March, many factory workers in the informal sector rode the sudden cylinder shortage, hoping it would be a passing phase. But when things didn’t look up by the end of March, they started leaving for home. Better to wait it out, they believed, at home than spending on rent in NCR.After the US and Israel attacked Iran and the pressure on energy supply routes meant LPG stocks came under extra scrutiny, pilferage was closed and the black market – catering to a large number of small cylinders and illegal refills on which many migrant workers doing daily wage jobs depend because they are cheap and easy to procure-all but folded, it hit a chunk of NCR’s labour force, mainly at the bottom of the pyramid.Dharmendra Nagar, a labour contractor for factories in Greater Noida and Noida, said nearly 2,000 of the 8,000 workers employed through him have left their jobs and returned to native villages in Badaun, Aligarh, Etah, Shahjahanpur and Mathura.Several were daily wage earners living without their families, sharing rented rooms, surviving on portable 3kg cylinder-cum-stoves refilled informally for Rs 40-50 per kg. But when black market prices surged to Rs 400-500 per kg, their savings started to dry up.“A large chunk departed on April 1, right after collecting their salaries,” Nagar said. “Once a worker goes on leave without informing their supervisor, they effectively lose that job. But right now, their only priority is making sure they don’t go to sleep hungry.”Bharat Kumar, a daily wager in Greater Noida who relied on black market refills, said his landlord in Devla village has not let him build mud chulhas, closing off even that fallback. “I used to get an LPG refill for Rs 50 per kg every two days. Now the rate has hit Rs 400 per kg. How do I save for rent, send money home and still eat?” said Kumar.Eating out is no longer a reliable alternative either, as roadside food stalls have started to pass on the higher LPG costs to customers. “A Rs 50 thali now costs Rs 80, and a paratha that was Rs 20 is now Rs 40. I can only afford to eat out once every four days. The other days, I may have to sleep hungry,” said Madan Prajapati, a mason working in Surajpur.While Kumar, Prajapati and many others like them weigh their options and plan their exits, blue-collar factory workers hired on contracts and better salaries have largely stayed put. They are mostly the ones who relocated to NCR with their families and typically hold valid gas connections.But staying has come at a cost. For many, daily life has itself been restructured-starting early to stand in a queue for a cylinder and then showing up at work on time.Kuldeep, a printing line worker at a factory in Sector 10, was standing outside a gas agency in Harola at 8 am on a Saturday, two hours before his shift, trying to collect a cylinder he had booked two days earlier. “My shift starts at 10 am. I have to get the cylinder and deliver it home before,” he said. “Unlike daily wage workers, who can sometimes negotiate a late start, factory workers operate on rigid shifts where a missed day can mean a pay cut or dismissal.“Ramashankar, a security guard in Sector 6, said he had been trying to collect a cylinder he booked on March 28. “I can manage only early-morning visits to the local gas agency before my shift starts. It has been days, and I still haven’t got it,” he said.Maryam, a garment factory worker in the area, said she booked a cylinder in advance but was still directed to collect it herself as home delivery was suspended in parts of Harola after delivery vehicles were allegedly looted by residents without valid connections. “If I don’t come, I won’t get it. But if I arrive late to work, I risk losing my salary,” she said.Gangeshwar Dutt of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, which leads several factory workers’ unions in Noida, said families where both spouses work factory shifts and have no valid gas connection have been hit the hardest. “They cannot just leave for their village. They have children to feed. So, they are being forced to buy cylinders at exorbitant prices, and then have to either convince their landlord to delay rent or borrow from the ration store. Either way, their debts keep mounting,” he said.Price of a 14.2 kg cylinder, which once cost around Rs 1,100, now costs Rs 4,000-4,500 in the black market. For workers earning Rs 12,000 a month, that single expense can upset an entire month’s budget.“With a salary of Rs 12,000, it is impossible to manage rent, fees and food. How am I to buy a gas cylinder for Rs 4,000?” said Pradeep, a factory worker from Sector 57.Those who have run out of options have returned to wood-fired chulahs. In Ghaziabad’s Arthala village, Seema, who works at a chemical factory in Sahibabad, has been cooking on a chulah for over a week. “Earlier, we somehow managed by buying small cylinders from local sources. Now nothing is available,” she said.Rumour, meanwhile, has compounded the anxiety. Bhola, a water delivery truck driver from a JJ Cluster in Sector 9, said many workers left fearing a repeat lockdown. “People thought everything might shut again,” he said.Another worker standing in a queue outside a gas agency said he was waiting for the 10th of the month when salaries would get credited.
