<p>Ahmedabad: Nilamadhab Sabat returned to Gujarat's Surat from his home in Odisha's Ganjam district on March 16 to his textile-factory job, but has been running around with his three roommates to procure a cooking-gas cylinder.</p><p>He doesn't have a regular gas connection, and hence used to buy cylinders from the open market for Rs 900-950. </p><p>However, thanks to the LPG crisis due to the ongoing West Asia conflict, Sabat is unable to get a new one. He went to refill his 5-kg cylinder, but returned after being told that a single kg of gas would cost Rs 600. "The landlord has told us categorically not to use coal for cooking. Now, I am planning to go back home," he told <em>DH</em> over the phone from Surat.</p><p>Sabat is not alone. Noor Mohammed, originally from Bihar's Sitamarhi district, said his gas cylinder ran empty on Friday after he had cooked for Eid festivities. The worker said he had been trying to procure a cylinder, which now costs above Rs 4,000 in the black market.</p>.UCC Bill tabled in Gujarat assembly, proposes common framework for marriage, succession and live-in ties.<p>"I have six family members, and we don't have a regular gas connection. Such cylinders were easily available earlier," he said while requesting immediate help.</p><p>The West Asia conflict's impact is being felt acutely in industrial cities such as Surat, home to lakhs of migrant workers — from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal — employed in the highly unorganised textile sector.</p><p>A rough estimate suggests that over 20 lakh workers are directly and indirectly associated with the industry.</p><p>However, a significant number of these workers, who lack gas connections due to insufficient documentation, are struggling to cook and are being forced to return home. </p><p>Railway stations in Surat are crowded, with large numbers of migrant workers lining up to return home, largely due to the cooking gas crisis and uncertainty surrounding textile mills that are planning to cut production.</p><p>The conflict has led to a rise in crude oil prices, which has in turn increased the cost of petroleum-based yarn products such as polyester and nylon.</p><p>"It has affected the entire textile supply chain, right from garment-manufacturing to packaging and sales, while demand has also declined. Our mills, which use coal as fuel, have also been impacted as its import from Indonesia has been affected due to the conflict," said South Gujarat Textile Processors Association president Jitendra Vakharia.</p><p>Surat-based Gujarat Sangharsh Majdoor Union's general secretary Sharad Zagade told DH: "Most of these workers do not earn more than Rs 15,000 a month. Today, if they want to buy cooking gas, they have to pay Rs 4,000-5,000 on the black market for the same cylinders that normally cost barely Rs 1,000. Additionally, there is growing uncertainty as factories are trying to reduce production." </p>
<p>Ahmedabad: Nilamadhab Sabat returned to Gujarat's Surat from his home in Odisha's Ganjam district on March 16 to his textile-factory job, but has been running around with his three roommates to procure a cooking-gas cylinder.</p><p>He doesn't have a regular gas connection, and hence used to buy cylinders from the open market for Rs 900-950. </p><p>However, thanks to the LPG crisis due to the ongoing West Asia conflict, Sabat is unable to get a new one. He went to refill his 5-kg cylinder, but returned after being told that a single kg of gas would cost Rs 600. "The landlord has told us categorically not to use coal for cooking. Now, I am planning to go back home," he told <em>DH</em> over the phone from Surat.</p><p>Sabat is not alone. Noor Mohammed, originally from Bihar's Sitamarhi district, said his gas cylinder ran empty on Friday after he had cooked for Eid festivities. The worker said he had been trying to procure a cylinder, which now costs above Rs 4,000 in the black market.</p>.UCC Bill tabled in Gujarat assembly, proposes common framework for marriage, succession and live-in ties.<p>"I have six family members, and we don't have a regular gas connection. Such cylinders were easily available earlier," he said while requesting immediate help.</p><p>The West Asia conflict's impact is being felt acutely in industrial cities such as Surat, home to lakhs of migrant workers — from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal — employed in the highly unorganised textile sector.</p><p>A rough estimate suggests that over 20 lakh workers are directly and indirectly associated with the industry.</p><p>However, a significant number of these workers, who lack gas connections due to insufficient documentation, are struggling to cook and are being forced to return home. </p><p>Railway stations in Surat are crowded, with large numbers of migrant workers lining up to return home, largely due to the cooking gas crisis and uncertainty surrounding textile mills that are planning to cut production.</p><p>The conflict has led to a rise in crude oil prices, which has in turn increased the cost of petroleum-based yarn products such as polyester and nylon.</p><p>"It has affected the entire textile supply chain, right from garment-manufacturing to packaging and sales, while demand has also declined. Our mills, which use coal as fuel, have also been impacted as its import from Indonesia has been affected due to the conflict," said South Gujarat Textile Processors Association president Jitendra Vakharia.</p><p>Surat-based Gujarat Sangharsh Majdoor Union's general secretary Sharad Zagade told DH: "Most of these workers do not earn more than Rs 15,000 a month. Today, if they want to buy cooking gas, they have to pay Rs 4,000-5,000 on the black market for the same cylinders that normally cost barely Rs 1,000. Additionally, there is growing uncertainty as factories are trying to reduce production." </p>