LPG crisis triggers migrant worker exodus from Kerala ahead of Ramzan, polls

KOCHI: (Mar 14) The ongoing LPG crisis, which has led to the mass closure of restaurants and hotels across Kerala, has triggered an exodus of migrant workers returning to their native places, as Ramzan approaches and elections are to be held in West Bengal and Assam.

Restaurant and hotel operators are trying to retain their staff from other states, fearing that if migrant workers leave now, they may not return until after the election.

G Jayapal, state president of the Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA) said that that migrant workers from West Bengal and Assam were expected to return home a week before the elections in their respective states.