THANE, March 27 -- Industrial production in the Kalyan-Dombivli and Ambernath MIDC industrial zones in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has halved as the acute shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and piped natural gas (PNG) forces migrant workers to return to their native villages. Industrial bodies representing the manufacturing units in these two zones claim that around half the 300,000-odd workers, who run the manufacturing and other processes in these areas, have left. It's a question of survival, they explained, as the LPG and PNG shortage due to the war in West Asia has left them without the means to cook their meals. For those hoping to brave it out, exhaustion is already setting in. Gulab Chand Nishad, who works in a Bombay Dyeing factory in the Dombivli MIDC, cooks rice on a makeshift oven made of bricks. "I have just returned after a night shift, and have spent two hours trying to cook on a chullah. I am exhausted but, after I eat, I will have to start searching for firewood for tomorrow," says Nishad, a native of Allahabad who lives at Pandurang Wadi in Dombivli east. "I've been doing this for the last 20 days. I'll wait for another week and then decide whether or not to leave." The 5,000-odd manufacturing units in the Kalyan-Ambernath industrial belt, mostly chemicals, textiles and engineering products, are run largely by 200,000 migrant workers. Prashant Ghorpade, president of the Kalyan-Ambernath Manufacturing Association, said the supply of raw materials has also been hit, including industrial gases and solvents derived from crude oil imported from the Middle East. "What is available costs three times more than pre-war prices," he said. The industrial belt is currently receiving only half its daily LPG/PNG requirement, which has badly hit the 100-odd canteens that cater to the workers, according to Ghorpade. The second industrial zone, the Additional Ambernath MIDC, is located on the other side of the Katai-Badlapur Road. It houses 1,800 manufacturing units that require a regular supply of LPG/PNG gases for welding, cutting and melting activities and are therefore hit by the current shortage. According to Makarand Pawar, vice-president of the Additional Ambernath Manufacturing Association (AAMA), production in this zone too has halved due to escalating raw material costs, project delays, and worker migration. "If the war continues, SMEs will require a financial bailout package from the state government. Mahanagar Gas Ltd, which supplies PNG to the industries, has issued a circular stating that it will charge three times the rate for PNG if consumption increases beyond 50%," Pawar said. AAMA president Umesh Tayade said the LPG/PNG shortage has forced several migrant workers, who mainly hail from UP, Bihar and West Bengal, to return home. Tayade said it was unfortunate that the government is focusing on domestic consumers, not small industry. "Initially, industries tried to help by providing induction cookers and community cooking facilities, but these were not sustainable," he added. Chandrabhan Nishad, a worker at the Dombivli MIDC, said, "Most of us are waiting for our month-end salary and will probably leave after that."...