{"id":45549,"date":"2026-04-09T08:26:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=45549"},"modified":"2026-04-09T08:26:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:26:06","slug":"ive-not-had-proper-food-for-days-migrant-workers-leave-indias-cities-as-iran-war-fuel-crisis-deepens-global-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=45549","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019ve not had proper food for days\u2019: migrant workers leave India\u2019s cities as Iran war fuel crisis deepens | Global development"},"content":{"rendered":"


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A<\/span>t 9am on a Saturday, 35-year-old Raju Prasad rushes through Anand Vihar railway station in Delhi<\/a>, 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 \u2013 one dragging a trolley bag, the others holding on to whatever little they can manage. With Prasad\u2019s brother, the family of seven is leaving for Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.<\/p>\n

They had moved to India\u2019s capital nine months ago. The couple worked as ragpickers and were paid about 500 rupees a day (about \u00a34), 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we stay here even a few more days, our children might die of hunger. They don\u2019t understand what this crisis is \u2013 we just see them crying for food,\u201d Prasad says.<\/p>\n

Their last gas cylinder finished 15 days ago and they haven\u2019t been able to find more. At first they managed by collecting fire wood but now \u201cwe have nothing left. Our savings are almost gone, so we decided to return to the village \u2013 at least there, we can cook on a temporary mud stove,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Anand Vihar railway station in Delhi, where thousands of migrants are leaving for their home villages.<\/span> Photograph: Suhail Bhat\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Delhi, home to millions of people from states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, is seeing a sudden reverse migration \u2013 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\u2019s war with Iran, daily life has been destabilised<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came here to support my family, but now I am asking them to send me money so I can return,\u201d he says sadly.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve not had proper food for the past two days. All my savings are gone,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Sarfaraz, a migrant worker from Bihar, waiting at Anand Vihar station to get a train back home.<\/span> Photograph: Suhail Bhat\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven outside, food has become too expensive. Prices have doubled, and we cannot afford to eat,\u201d Sarfaraz says.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s 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\u2019s domestic gas consumer cards. Migrant workers and students are not eligible for the cards.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Anil, at his restaurant in Nehru Place, Delhi, which he has run for 30 years.<\/span> Photograph: Suhail Bhat\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Anil has been running a restaurant in Nehru Place, Delhi, for the past 30 years. He has never seen a crisis like this.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the first time in my life that the gas cylinder price on the black market has reached 4,500 rupees. I have had to increase prices and cut down many items from the menu,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have shifted back to traditional open-fire cooking on a chulha<\/em>. It takes more time, and if this situation continues, it will affect my workers too. I have about 10 employees and, with fewer customers now, it is becoming difficult to sustain.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/svg><\/span>Gas cylinders being distributed to registered consumers in Noida, outside Delhi.<\/span> Photograph: Suhail Bhat\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Praveen Shankar Kapoor, the BJP\u2019s Delhi spokesperson, says authorities are working to stabilise supply across domestic and commercial sectors. \u201cWe are actively trying to resolve the shortages being faced in both household and commercial LPG supply chains,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

However, Kapoor admits that smaller cylinder users remain particularly vulnerable. \u201cYes, 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,\u201d he says. \u201cWe are hopeful that these issues will be addressed soon and supply will normalise in the coming days.\u201d<\/p>\n