Industrialists pamper migrants, offer Chhath Puja facilities

Alarmed by trainloads of migrant workers leaving for their home states for the Chhath Puja since the last week, members of the Focal Point Association are offering special facilities to them to celebrate the festival here only.

The association was jolted to action after the workforce of factories slipped by 20 per cent, with more labourers lined up to take a month-long leave. They then convinced the workers by promising to provide elaborate arrangements for them and their families to perform the rituals right outside the entry point of Focal Point.

To create temporary ghats for performing the puja, rectangular pits were dug up and water was released into them from an adjoining overhead tank. As the evening Arghya to the Sun God was to be performed today, thousands of Bihar-based families, carrying bamboo baskets laden with offerings, reached the ghats. Women lit up diyas and stood in the water and prayed.

All roads leading to the Chhath Puja ghats were jam-packed this evening.

Besides the temporary ghats, factory owners have also organised a cultural show for the migrants. Narinder S Sagoo, president of Focal Point Extension, said, “About 90 of the total 400 labourers of my factory had already left and similar was the case with other factory owners. So, we all decided to provide all festival-related facilities to the labourers right here. The labourers did not have to walk miles with their families to reach a canal or a water body. They literally got a doorstep facility. Even vendors selling items for offerings are also here. We allowed the workers to go home after 2 pm and they are all happy.”

Mamta, who works in a hardware factory at Focal Point, said, “We used to earlier hire a tempo to reach a water body or go to Devi Talab Mandir for Chhath Puja. But this time, factory owners have been kind enough to make elaborate arrangements for the festival for us. Owing to their gesture, we decided to forgo our plan to go to Bihar. We might not even go on election days.”

Two months ago there had been a campaign to oust migrants from Punjab relating them with more incidents of crime. But today it all seemed untrue as they were pampered not just by the industrialists but also the area councillors and leaders. All of them donated and contributed for their festivities to create a ‘Mini Bihar’ in Jalandhar.