The exodus of North Easterners from the city to their home states on fears of attacks showed signs of subsiding on the fourth day today since they started fleeing, according to indications from Railway authorities.
In confidence building measures, six companies of Rapid Action Force have been deployed, besides increased police patrolling in areas prominently inhabited by people from the North Eastern states, official sources said. Even as a few hundreds of North East people waited outside the city railway station to leave for their home states, fearing reprisals for the Assam violence, railway authorities this morning did not announce any special trains.
They said it is too early to take a call to arrange for special trains unless ticket sales reaches a cut off point of 2,500 a day. "Based on ticket sales, we will arrange for special trains. As of now sales have been slow paced."
However, they said they would take steps to arrange for special trains if ticket sales increase through the day as it did yesterday.
They said eight special trains had been arranged in the last three days, apart from three regular trains which had ferried nearly 30,000 people to their home states.
Cracking the whip in the wake of the exodus, police arrested six persons yesterday on charges of attack, intimidation and sending "false" SMSes to people of the region.
Assam Ministers Chandan Brahma and Nilamoni Sen Deka, who are in the city, had said yesteday they were impressed with the steps taken by the government to safeguard the interests of people from the North East.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa said around 30,000 North-Easterners have left Bangalore in the last three days.
"As many as 30,000 North East people have left the city in last three days," he told reporters at the railway station here.
Muniyappa said South Western Railways had arranged for eight special trains and three regulars attached to 151 coaches to ferry northeast people in last three days.
He said SWR had to cancel five Hindupur-bound trains, two to Shravanabelogola, two to Nagur and two Hubli bound trains to run special trains for these people who had gathered in large numbers at the station in the last three days. He announced a Rs three lakh reward to SWR, falling under Karnataka, for providing necessary assistance to the northeast people for their travel. "Of Rs three lakh reward, Rs two lakh is for Bangalore Division," he said.
Muniyappa lauded the state government for providing necessary help to the North East people. Asked if there are any Guwahati bound special trains, he said Railways did not want to encourage an exodus of North East people.
