Labour shortage worsens as SIR, polls draw workers away amid LPG crisis

Traders across sectors such as hotels and textiles said that while the non-availability of LPG continues to disrupt services, they are also facing an additional challenge owing to growing labour shortage. Many workers, particularly from West Bengal, had returned home for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and are expected to come back only after the elections, while others have begun leaving for Odisha, where the exercise is scheduled to commence from April 1.  

Business owners stated that several labourers who had travelled home for Holi and Ramzan have not yet returned, citing a sharp increase in bus fares, which they said have risen by over 50%. The combined impact, they added, is beginning to affect daily operations across sectors.