‘I’ve not had proper food for days’: migrant workers leave India’s cities as Iran war fuel crisis deepens

## Summary
Photograph: Suhail Bhat/The Guardian View image in fullscreen Raju Prasad, left, and his family at Anand Vihar railway station in Delhi, as they head back to their village in Uttar Pradesh. Photograph: Suhail Bhat/The Guardian ‘I’ve not had proper food for days’: migrant workers leave India’s cities as Iran war fuel crisis deepens Gas shortages and rising food prices mean many who came to the capital for work cannot afford to eat. Photograph: Suhail Bhat/The Guardian Delhi, home to millions of people from states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, is seeing a sudden reverse migration – an evacuation of some of its vast workforce back to rural areas. Photograph: Suhail Bhat/The Guardian Prices of induction hobs and electric rice cookers have surged since the war began. “The induction cooktop we used to sell for 1,300 rupees is now being sold for 5,000 rupees,” says Ahmad, a wholesale seller at ZamZam Crockery. “Prices have increased from the backend, and we cannot control it.

## Article Content
Raju Prasad, left, and his family at Anand Vihar railway station in Delhi, as they head back to their village in Uttar Pradesh.
Photograph: Suhail Bhat/The Guardian
View image in fullscreen
Raju Prasad, left, and his family at Anand Vihar railway station in Delhi, as they head back to their village in Uttar Pradesh.
Photograph: Suhail Bhat/The Guardian
‘I’ve not had proper food for days’: migrant workers leave India’s cities as Iran war fuel crisis deepens
Gas shortages and rising food prices mean many who came to the capital for work cannot afford to eat. Going home is now their only option
A
t 9am on a Saturday, 35-year-old Raju Prasad rushes through Anand Vihar railway station in
Delhi
, a heavy bag slung over his shoulder. Beside him, his wife clutches their youngest daughter with one arm and a white plastic bucket with the other. Their three other children trail behind – one dragging a trolley bag, the others holding on to whatever little they can manage. With Prasad’s brother, the family of seven is leaving for Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.
They had moved to India’s capital nine months ago. The couple worked as ragpickers and were paid about 500 rupees a day (about £4), working long 10-hour shifts. But any dreams of building a more secure future in Delhi and sending their children to school have been lost, as rising food costs and the impact of the Middle East crisis on fuel availability and prices have meant the past few weeks have been a fight for basic survival. Now they are moving back to their village.
“If we stay here even a few more days, our children might die of hunger. They don’t understand what this crisis is – we just see them crying for food,” Prasad says.
Their last gas cylinder finished 15 days ago and they haven’t been able to find more. At first they managed by collecting fire wood but now “we have nothing left. Our savings are almost gone, so we decided to return to the village – at least there, we can cook on a temporary mud stove,” he says.
View image in fullscreen
Anand Vihar railway station in Delhi, where thousands of migrants are leaving for their home villages.
Photograph: Suhail Bhat/The Guardian
Delhi, home to millions of people from states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, is seeing a sudden reverse migration – an evacuation of some of its vast workforce back to rural areas. As global fuel prices surge with the supply disruptions from the US and Israel’s war with Iran,
daily life has been destabilised
.
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The city, heavily dependent on food served through its dense network of dhabas, street vendors, small eateries and restaurants, is facing a cascading crisis. Without gas and with spiralling food prices, the street vendors are closing up. Students, daily wage labourers and low-income migrants, who rely almost entirely on eating at such cheap food spots, are among the worst affected.
As the Parsad family disappears into the crowds at Anand Vihar station, 25-year-old Sarfaraz from Bihar is sitting beside his bags and a small table fan. He has been waiting since early morning for someone from his family to transfer 300 rupees to his account so he can buy a train ticket home.
“I came here to support my family, but now I am asking them to send me money so I can return,” he says sadly.
Sarfaraz came to Delhi to work on the construction site of Jewar Noida International Airport, Uttar Pradesh, where thousands of workers are building the new facility. Now, like many others, he sees little choice but to leave as the gas shortage has made life impossible.
“I’ve not had proper food for the past two days. All my savings are gone,” he says.
View image in fullscreen
Sarfaraz, a migrant worker from Bihar, waiting at Anand Vihar station to get a train back home.
Photograph: Suhail Bhat/The Guardian
Sarfaraz, who married at 18 and is now a father of four, moved to Delhi with the hope of giving his children an education and a better life. He was paid about 550 rupees a day, working long hours at the construction site. But for the past 20 days his gas supply has been exhausted. The price of a gas cylinder on the black market has risen sharply, with prices rising from 900 rupees to 4,500 rupees, far beyond what he can afford.
“Even outside, food has become too expensive. Prices have doubled, and we cannot afford to eat,” Sarfaraz says.
India’s government has repeatedly claimed that, despite the shortages of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), those who book online are receiving their cylinders within a few days. But people gathered outside gas agencies report long and uncertain waits, even after booking cylinders with the city’s domestic gas consumer cards. Migrant workers and students are not eligible for the cards.
The owners of small eateries and restaurants in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Lucknow have been reducing menus, hiking prices, laying off employees or closing up shop completely

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- I have about 10 employees and, with fewer customers now, it is becoming difficult to sustain.” View image in fullscreen Gas cylinders being distributed to registered consumers in Noida, outside Delhi.
- About 50 girls live here, and all of us are facing the same problem.

### Implications
- But any dreams of building a more secure future in Delhi and sending their children to school have been lost, as rising food costs and the impact of the Middle East crisis on fuel availability and prices have meant the past few weeks have been a fight for basic survival.
- Now they are moving back to their village. “If we stay here even a few more days, our children might die of hunger.
- It takes more time, and if this situation continues, it will affect my workers too.
- However, Kapoor admits that smaller cylinder users remain particularly vulnerable. “Yes, the 5kg LPG category is facing more acute challenges at the moment, especially among migrant and low-income groups who depend on it for daily cooking,” he says. “We are hopeful that these issues will be addressed soon and supply will normalise in the coming days.” In Delhi, the majority of students in some colleges and universities come from outside the city, often from low-income families.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers delhi, gas, food topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1447.