Title - Exodus declines after CBMs

Mumbai: Confidence-building measures undertaken by the government and Muslim organisations in Mumbai and Pune are showing results with the number of migrants from the Northeast rushing back home falling sharply over the past two days.According to information available from the Railways, the rush to book tickets on board trains leaving Maharashtra for places like Howrah in West Bengal has come down. The Railways, which had mulled deploying special trains or adding extra coaches to existing trains, have decided against the move after the rush subsided, sources said.A large number of students and professionals from the Northeast living in Pune and the sudden exodus resulted in several IT firms and hotels facing a manpower crisis. "We have organised meetings between representatives of the persons from the Northeast and the local community here," Pune Police Commissioner Gulabrao Pol told reporters earlier today. Peace committees comprising leaders of the Muslim community and representatives of the Northeasterners have held meetings to restore confidence among the people, Pol said.The Pune police has arrested several youth for circulating MMS video clips and charged them for spreading religious hatred. Residents of Pune, many of who rent out their homes to outstation students, have come out to protect the visitors.