The migrant crisis in Gujarat has left industries in the state worried. With production disrupted in several manufacturing clusters in north Gujarat, particularly ahead of the festive season, worried commerce bodies are urging all stakeholders for prompt intervention.
Mehsana, Himmatnagar and Ahmedabad districts are the worst-affected areas where hundreds of migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have fled after violence erupted following the rape of a 14-month-old girl alleged by a man from Bihar.
Assuring security to the migrants, the Gujarat government on Monday said 431 people have been arrested and 56 FIRs registered in connection with the violence. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani appealed to people not to engage in violence.
Jaimin Vasa, president of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told DNA they have been holding joint meetings with the police, village heads, local officials and industry representatives to assure the migrant workers about their safety.
"Industries need workers and workers need industries. We need to establish normalcy as soon as possible. We have to remove the environment of fear and rebuild confidence," said Vasa. An estimated 35 per cent workers in industrial setups in and around Ahmedabad are from other states.
Sanand, the emerging auto hub, has borne the brunt of the exodus. About 4,000 of the 14,000 migrant workers in the area have headed home. Ajit Shah, president of Sanand Industries Association said, "We have managed to hold back the remaining workers. We are trying to assure them about their safety."
Shah rubbished the claims by some authorities that workers are returning because of the festive season. "We have orders till about four days ahead of Diwali. Workers go to their natives at that time, not a month in advance. If workers go now, the will return only after Diwali and it will hurt industries very hard." He said foundries are staring at huge losses as nearly 80 per cent of the workers there are from Bihar and UP.
Industry associations, however, said business is as usual in other parts of the state, including Surat, Vadodara and Kutch-Gandhidham.
Meanwhile, cashing on the crisis, rival parties trained their gun on the BJP government in the state. Targeting migrant workers in Gujarat completely wrong, said Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The party Mumbai chief Sanjay Nirupam targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the people of Varanasi (in UP) had embraced him "despite his lies".
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Jaimin Vasa, president of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told DNA they have been holding joint meetings with the police, village heads, local officials and industry representatives to assure the migrant workers about their safety.
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