India, March 27 -- A combination of rising LPG costs due to the West Asia conflict and the upcoming West Bengal elections has led to a reduction in manpower for Gurugram's sanitation department, disrupting door-to-door garbage collection services across the city, officials and residents said.

Nearly 20% of sanitation workers have stopped reporting to work, citing steep increases in gas prices, according to officials. Many of these workers, particularly those from West Bengal, have returned to their hometowns due to financial strain and the ongoing election season in their state.

Ravinder Yadav, additional MCG commissioner acknowledged the issue, stating that the shortage of workers and vehicles has disrupted the entire chain of waste co...