India's Slum Dwellers Struggle with Cooking Gas Crisis

0:00On April 7, in India's big cities like Delhi, folks and slums are scrambling every morning for cooking gas cylinders, but coming up empty after three. Weeks straight. Migrant workers from villages in Uttar Pradesh and Bahaar, earning about 15,000 rubies a month as domestic helpers rely on these LPG. Cylinders for daily meals. The Middle East War has messed up global shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, hitting India's heavy imports hard. Officials insist there's no real shortage, boosting local production and grabbing extra supplies from the US, Russia and Australia. They're telling people to chill on panic buys. Before these workers using informal networks, cylinders are nowhere to be found, with shady refill spots either close or charging four times the normal price up to 3,500 rupees each. These migrants, numbering tens of millions across cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru, face tough calls. Many lack proper city documents for legal connections, so they've been buying small refills on the

1:04side. Now summer switching to firewood or kerosene, which pollute slums and spikes costs, while small eateries shut down without commercial gas. Workers like car pullers and rickshaw drivers are already heading back to villages, worried about feeding families. Most trim menus last month after refineries prioritized homes and reports show crowded bus stations as reverse migration picks up. Experts call it manageable for now, but if more laborers bail on construction, textiles and factories, small businesses could take a big hit. Everyone's eyes are on the conflict, easing up to get supplies flowing again. That's your update from Global News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with The Story.