Ludhiana: A deepening shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is driving a mass exodus of other-state workers from India’s “Manchester of the East”, threatening to cripple production in the nation’s premier hosiery and textile hub.What began as a domestic supply crunch has evolved into a full-blown industrial crisis. Factory floors in Ludhiana are thinning out as labourers, unable to cook meals or sustain their households due to the scarcity of cylinders, abandon the city for their ancestral villages.For Jawahi Prajapati, an overlock tailor in a local garment factory, the decision to return to Ayodhya was one of basic survival. “Back in the village, we have cow-dung cake stoves (chulhas) to make our meals,” Prajapati said while waiting at the Ludhiana railway station. “The shortage of LPG cylinders here makes life too difficult. We will only return when the crisis is resolved.”The flight of labour is hitting the bottom line for small and medium enterprises. Kewal Singh, a sweet-shop owner from nearby Malerkotla, is heading back to Bihar with his employees. “My work has come to a standstill without LPG,” he said. “I cannot afford to pay my workers if I cannot produce. We have no choice but to leave.”Industry leaders warn that the timing could not be worse. The hosiery sector typically sees a surge in activity this time of year as workers return from their homes following the Eid holidays. Instead, the trend has reversed.Convergence of CrisesSudharshan Jain, president of the Knitwear and Apparel Manufacturers Association, said global instability was compounding LPG shortage. “Between the domestic gas crisis and the uncertain environment caused by the West Asia conflict, workers are not returning in the numbers we expected,” Jain said.The sentiment was echoed by Harsimerjit Singh, president of the United Cycle Parts and Manufacturers Association (UCPMA), who criticised the govt’s slow response. “Despite repeated assurances, the crisis remains unresolved on the ground. Workers are suffering on both fronts — factory work is drying up and they cannot even manage their households,” he said.For now, the outlook remains bleak for Ludhiana’s industrial belts. As Pankaj Sharma of the Association of Trade and Industrial Undertakings noted, the shortage is “discouraging workers across all sectors,” from textiles to allied industries, leaving the city’s economic engine sputtering.
