PUNE: Fear continues to grip hundreds of North Indian labourers here, who are availing of every possible mode of transport to reach their hometowns, days after dust seemed to settle down on the violence sparked by MNS campaign against migrants.
Official estimates put the figure of workers who left Pune over the last fortnight in the wake of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's (MNS) anti-North Indian rhetoric at over 25,000, adversely affecting many projects of the construction industry which employs the skilled and unskilled labour from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
To make things worse, the city was agog with rumours that February 25 would see another spate of violence in Maharashtra, triggering a fresh wave of migrant labourers rushing to catch north-bound trains and buses.
The vitiated atmosphere got the authorities concerned as District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar and Collector Prabhakar Deshmukh held meetings of various people's representatives to scotch the rumours and to reassure the jittery workforce.
They were joined by local Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi, who picketed at Pune railway station to allay fears of those boarding the trains with their family members, carrying meagre belongings.
RE:ultimately industries will be hit in maharashtra
by chandu on Feb 24, 2008 07:00 PM Permalink
north indian ministers are responsible for this. They screwed their respectives states and now they screwing their own ppl elsewhere. Life will not stop in maharastra. many times TOI is bullshit
RE:ultimately industries will be hit in maharashtra
by amit sharma on Feb 24, 2008 07:10 PM Permalink
life will not stop but life will suffer....where is the cheap labour dear.i m sure maarthi mamus will not work as laboureres..ulitmately industries will close or shft base..this happened in bengal..where political activism was responsible for closure of industries...not its turn of maharashtra
RE:ultimately industries will be hit in maharashtra
by preeti on Feb 24, 2008 07:15 PM Permalink
What is the use of having industries if they are not for local people? Marathis won't mind the closure of industries because the industries are not employing marathis anyway! So it's not marathi ppl's problem :)
RE:ultimately industries will be hit in maharashtra
by amit sharma on Feb 24, 2008 07:41 PM Permalink
hahaha..what a poor logic...revenue earning means proeprity..if no industries in maharashtra...it will be same as up and bihar
