Chandra Bahadur Budha of Tanjakot Rural Municipality-5 in Humla had been working as a daily wage laborer in a place called Gauchar in Uttarakhand, India for five months.

Budha, who was working as a laborer in rural India, also had to bear the impact of the ongoing Iran-Israel, US war in West Asia. Seeing that the rising cost of fuel was unbearable and the shortage was getting worse, he left his laborer job and returned home.

Budha had been cooking on firewood for a month without getting cooking gas. After firewood was also easily available, he returned home via the Gaddachauki checkpoint in Kanchanpur on Thursday. ‘Until a month ago, gas was available in black, now it is difficult to get it, and even if we get it, it is impossible to buy it,’ said the old man, ‘We have to work hard to find gas, rather than return home.’ Along with the old man, Biraj Rokaya from Hukla Tanjakot has also returned home. They say that after losing access to gas, it is very difficult to cook food with firewood and it is not easily available.’

Nepali workers say that the shortage of cooking gas in the Indian capital Delhi is even more acute. According to them, they have to pay up to 5,000 rupees per cylinder there. Due to which Nepalis have started returning home in droves. According to them, those working in the hotel sector are also returning home due to job cuts. ‘Nowadays, there is less work in Delhi, and it is difficult to get gas,’ said Manbir Sarki of Chhabis Pathivera Rural Municipality in Bajhang, ‘It is for the elderly, it is difficult for us to cook and eat.’ He works in Delhi. In Delhi, cooking gas is currently being purchased in black for 300 to 500 rupees per kilogram. Buying a whole cylinder costs 5,000.

Sarki is not in the mood to return to India right now. He plans to stay in the village if he gets any wage work. ‘Sometimes Corona comes, sometimes war just makes us workers run away,’ he said, ‘How long will we have to bear this pain?’ Many of his neighbors who went to work with him have already returned home last week. Some have not found work, while others have returned home for the New Year. ‘Now, Nepalis working in hotels in Delhi have started returning home unemployed,’ said Chandra Rawat of Kailali Sukkhad, ‘Hotels are laying off workers due to gas shortage, which has hit Nepalis harder.’ According to her, Nepalis working in other sectors have also been hit by fuel shortage.

Nepali workers who have reached all parts of India, from rural to urban areas, in search of employment have been affected. Some have been affected by the lack of cooking gas and others by the lack of fuel, as hotels and industries have started laying off workers. ‘When the pandemic came, we had to flee home, and when the war broke out, we had to suffer,’ said Man Bahadur Budha of Chheda Municipality-1 in Jajarkot, ‘It has been difficult to find work even in the hilly areas as there are no freight transport vehicles.’ He was working as a wage labourer in the road construction sector in Almora.