Northeast issue: Exodus subsides in Chennai

CHENNAI: The number of northeastern people making an exodus from the city fearing reprisals in the wake of Assam violence dwindled today with fewer of them leaving for their home states.

On the fourth day since the panic-stricken exit began, the central station here had only a few hundred of the north east people in contrast to the scene earlier.

Railway sources said three compartments were added to a train to northeast this morning to accommodate those who arrived from Bangalore.

"It left in the morning. There were a large number of people from Bangalore who reached Chennai today...", an official said.

Police said the number of northeastern people leaving the city, which was around 2000 every day, had dwindled to less than 1,000 today.

Northeastern people, who left Chennai for their home towns, were mostly from Tiruppur and Namakkal in Tamil Nadu.

The first three days had seen hundreds of them leaving the city, prompting the state government to launch confidence-building measures.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had reached out to the fleeing northeasterners, assuring them that the state was peaceful and her government would take steps to ensure their safety.

Police said tight security arrangements were made at the Central Railway station.

Police has set up a round-the-clock control room and helplines exclusively for people from the northeast.

Meanwhile, telecom service providers have also begun sending messages to subscribers asking them to restrict themselves to only five messages per day.