The silence of the leadership in Maharashtra is deafening. After Raj Thackeray and his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers ran amok in Maharashtra, most of the leaders in the state, political and otherwise, preferred to look the other way. Not a word of comfort for the targeted communities from Bihar and Uttar Prdaesh was uttered. With no one to turn to, the outflow of the migrant working class from Pune and Nashik continues, And, the industry has started feeling the heat now.

A few social activists, like Baba Adhav, were among the handful to come out in support of the north Indian migrant labourers. Adhav?s Hamal Panchayat took out a rally to express solidarity. He blamed the government for the present situation. ?While lack of jobs forces people to migrate, such violence prevents them from earning their livelihood. In both cases, the government prefers to be a silent spectator,? said Adhav.

Ajit Abhyankar, member, CPI(M) state secretariat,was part of a group, Rashtriya Ekatmata Samiti, that was at the Pune Railway Station talking to fleeing people, reassuring them and persuading them to stay back. ?We will keep doing this. It is a matter of concern ,? Abhyankar said. He too felt that that the whole issue had the tacit support of the state home department.

Meanwhile, industry is facing shortage of manpower, more so of contract labour. ?Today, at least half of the labour are contract workers.,? Abhyankar said.

According to the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture, the entire Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and adjoining industrial belt is facing a very serious problem with regard to the migrant labour?s exodus, consequential loss and stoppage of production. “The industry is concerned about the serious situation and is looking for a permanent solution. The situation needs immediate correction and drastic action so that all anti-social elements are stopped from disturbing peace and good industrial climate. The chamber is trying its best to restore normalcy at the earliest,” it said. It called a meeting of eminent personalities, government officials and industrialists from Pune.

It is only after the industry and construction industry was hit that Pune’s guardian minister, Ajit Pawar, has woken up to the need to restore confidence among the workers. “If the situation demands, we will deploy the SRPF to control the situation,” Pawar told industry representatives on Friday.

Lalit Kumar Jain, president, Promoters & Builders Association of Pune says the state government must act before it is too late.

In Pune, the worst hit are construction sites, as around 95% of the labour is migrants. ?Around 60% of the labour has fled and more are fleeing. These labourers feel they will be hit again and are falling prey to all kinds of rumours circulating in the market,? says Jain.

Satish Magar, CMD, Magarpatta Township Development & Construction Company Ltd said his site at Magarpatta had been badly affected. ?With Holi coming up and rumours about another agitation, workers are leaving,? he said. ?We have been talking to the workers and visiting labour camps with little success,? he adds. R Vasudevan, CMD, Vascon, said he lost 40% of labour in the last few days.

The Railways have put the number of people who moved out at upwards of 2.5 lakh.