New Delhi, April 14 -- Noida wore a deserted look on Tuesday morning, a day after workers' protests demanding higher wages turned violent, with idle factory floors and police patrols replacing the usual shift-change bustle in one of Uttar Pradesh's largest industrial hubs.

As the day progressed, workers returned to the streets, protesting the state government's proposal for a 21% increase in minimum wages for contract labourers, according to a copy of the letter seen by Mint. The proposal would increase the payouts to Rs.13,690 for unskilled labour, Rs.15,059 for partially skilled labour, and Rs.16,868 for skilled labour.

According to a Noida police statement on Monday, about 45,000 workers in the industrial hub's eight major industrial...