Title - Ministers fail to stop exodus of people from Bangalore

GUWAHATI: The persuasive efforts of two state cabinet ministers at Bangalore railway station trying to convince people from the northeast that the Karnataka government has assured them security and they should stay put in the southern city did little to change the minds of the thousands leaving their workplace to head back home.On Saturday, the Karnataka government appealed to NE people who have left the city to return to Bangalore, assuring them that their jobs would remain and there would be no pay cuts.Assam agriculture minister Nilamani Sen Deka, who is in Bangalore, said an estimated 7,000 people from the region living in Bangalore and nearby areas have left for their homes since August 13.An estimated three lakh NE people reside and study or work in Bangalore."When we reached Bangalore railway station yesterday (Friday), already more than 500 people had boarded the special train to Guwahati. We persuaded them to stay back as there was no trouble in the city and the Karnataka government has assured that their lives and properties would be safeguarded. But no one paid any heed to our plea," Deka said.Of the five special trains arranged by Southern Railways to bring NE people to Guwahati, two have already arrived and the remaining ones are scheduled to arrive by Sunday. The trains will leave Guwahati for Bangalore on Sunday to facilitate the return of more people.

Deka said that the Karnataka government too has appealed to NE people to return and assured them safety and that they would continue to be engaged in their jobs.

It is not just the NE professionals and students living in Bangalore who are fleeing the city fearing for their safety. Even Bangaloreans who have NE people as tenants and companies with employees from the region are happy to see them leave as they "do not want any trouble."

"I was told by my landlord to go home for a few weeks till everything becomes normal. He is a good man and he is only concerned about my safety," said Bhabesh Deka, a casual worker with a construction company who arrived here. In the case of Nrpen Das, the security agency where he works advised him to take few days break and visit his home. "I will go back but only when I am convinced that it is safe to do so," he said.

Most of the people who have left are working as labourers, security guards or at lower levels in companies and lived in rented accommodation in minority-dominated areas where rents are relatively lower. Those working in high-end companies and living in posh localities have preferred to stay back.