PATNA: First it was Raj Thackeray's anti-north Indian stir. Now it is the terror attacks. Mumbai used to be a favourite destination for migrant Biharis looking for jobs as house guards, domestic help, barbers and ever willing to do even other odd jobs. Several of them have been there for generations. But while the recent attacks by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) goons had them fleeing to their native places, the latest terror attacks appear to have made them think seriously of some other destination.
Md Saddam, a barber in his twenties, a resident of West Champaran district, fled Mumbai in the wake of the MNS attacks on Biharis. "I will never go to Mumbai again. The recent attacks have made me scared and I would prefer to remain in my home district no matter how meagre my income may be," he said. Saddam said that he worked at Bhandup in Mumbai and managed to save at least Rs 1800 per month because customers in Mumbai would give tips generously. "My brother-in-law Md Insarul Miyan with whom I lived called me up on Thursday after the terror attacks saying that he was also planning to go back to his native village at Padrauna in Uttar Pradesh," he added. Nityanand Dubey, 45, another victim of MNS hooliganism, said that he was quite comfortable with Rs 5,500 salary he got per month at a plastic toy factory at Ulhas Nagar, Mumbai. "But the recent terror attacks have convinced my old parents at Gobrora, Lauriya in West Champaran district that Mumabi is no longer safe. They will not allow me to go there again," he said. Construction worker Phulchand, a resident of Bishnupur locality in Begusarai, said on Saturday that earlier Mumbai used to be his first choice as contractors there offered some extra money compared to other places. "Earlier, even my father used to work there. Later, I, along with my two brothers, joined him there. We continued to work there even after the death of our father several years ago. However, the conditions there are hostile for us and we feel insecure. Next time we board a train it will be for Delhi or Punjab and definitely not for Mumbai," he said. Another construction worker, Dharmdeo, a resident of Kaithma village in Begusarai, has no plans to go back to Mumbai. "I will catch a train for Baroda or Surat instead of Mumbai. My friends are also there," he said. Bokai Mukhia of Mahishi village in Saharsa had not slept for the last two nights. Since Thursday when he came to know about the Mumbai terror attacks, he had been making frantic inquiries from other villagers about his eldest son, Ganga Mukhia, who went to Mumbai just after the Chhath festival to earn his livelihood. Bokai did not even know which suburban area of Mumbai his sone lived in. It was only on Saturday that a phone call from Mumbai to this 75-year-old man's neighbour brought news of Ganga's well-being. But the father is still worried. "Now I won't allow him to go to Mumbai. It is better to die at home than get killed in such terror attacks," he said. It is the same story with Rangila Raut, 35, a resident of Adapur in East Champaran district. He had been employed as a construction worker in Mumbai for the last 15 years. But last month he was beaten up by Raj Thackeray's men and his money was snatched. Currently, he is in search of employment in Motihari town. "It's not safe in Mumbai," he said. Abdul Ansari of Araria district said that around 200 persons of his village were working as construction workers in Mumbai. "We have asked all of them to return," he said. Anandi Goswami's son has been a taxi driver in Mumbai for the last 15 years. Now he has asked his son to return. "We cannot work under the constant shadow of death," he said. Bihar Network http://bihar-network.ning.com
