A sharp rise in LPG prices has begun to ripple through Surat’s textile hub, forcing migrant workers to leave the city and pushing several factories to scale down operations.

At Udhna Junction, long queues of workers have formed over the past few days, many waiting to board trains back to their home states as cooking fuel becomes unaffordable.

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As per a report by the Indian Express, Subhash Thakur, a dyeing and printing mill worker said he could no longer afford to feed his family. “We used to refill a small LPG cylinder for ₹500. Now it costs ₹2,500. My children are small. I have booked tickets to return home,” he said.

Mills cut operations as labour shortage deepens

The exodus, largely involving workers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Odisha, has begun to affect production in one of India’s largest textile clusters.

Several units have started shutting operations for one or two days each week to cope with the shrinking workforce, industry representatives said.

Jitubhai Vakharia, president of the South Gujarat Textile Processing Association, described the situation as “tough” for workers, especially those living in rented accommodation without formal LPG connections.

“Some mills are shutting down for one or two days every week. With Navratri and the wedding season approaching, we are trying to ensure factories keep running,” Vakharia told Indian Express.

Community kitchens and stopgap measures emerge

With cooking becoming a daily challenge, both industry bodies and employers have stepped in with temporary solutions.

A community kitchen set up in Pandesara is serving meals at subsidised rates of ₹40–₹45 per plate and is feeding over 5,000 workers daily, according to Vakharia. Some mill owners are also distributing meals to workers at the end of shifts to retain labour.

Rahul Agrawal, a mill owner, said his unit provides food at ₹20 per meal. “We want to retain our workers. Production in our mill is still stable,” he said.

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Others have turned to alternative fuel sources. Labour contractor Kamran Usmani said wooden logs are being distributed to workers to help them cook. “We are arranging multiple vehicle loads of firewood every day,” he said.

Administration steps in to check black marketing

The district administration has deployed officials across LPG distribution points to monitor supply and prevent black marketing. Officials said records are being maintained at over 75 gas agencies in and around Surat to ensure fair distribution of cylinders.

The crisis has been linked to broader supply disruptions and price spikes in LPG across the country.