Why Orissa festival is bad news for Surat

Texttile firms in Surat may soon face a manpower crunch as many workers belonging to Orissa are making plans to head home to participate...

Texttile firms in Surat may soon face a manpower crunch as many workers belonging to Orissa are making plans to head home to participate in the Danda Yatra festival. Many migrants from Orissa are employed in the weaving and dyeing units in the city. In an attempt to increase participation in the festivities, many village committee presidents have said that non-participation in the festivities could attract fines ranging from Rs 2,000 to 3,000. This order has resulted in most factories facing a shortage of skilled workers.

The Danda Yatra festival starts on April 1 and will last for 13 days. This festival is very popular in Orissa’s Ganjam district and the neighbouring areas. The village committees have even pasted pamphlets, especially in the industrial belts of the city warning of heavy fines in the event of non-participation in the festival.

Secretary of the Parpraniya Vikas Mandal in Surat, Suath Sahu, said, “Danda Yatra is an ancient and traditional form of worship. The practice is believed to have originated in the Galleri and Baibelli villages in the state’s Ganjam district. The ritual continues for 13 to 21 days. The festival is organised every year in different villages of the Ganjam district. Most migrants from Orissa, employed in these sectors belong to this district. They will definitely head home, more so, as the committee that conducts these festivities has issued this decree.” He said the rule was formulated to ensure higher participation at the festivities this time.

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Mithu Pradhan, a textile worker from Galleri village in Ganjam, who has been staying in Surat for 10 years, said, “This festival is very important for us. I have to attend the festival, as I am a committee member in my village. The recent decision to impose fine was taken due to the low turnout of people from Surat.” Mithu said he paid a fine of Rs 2,000 after failing to attend the function last year.

Sahu said, this time pamphlets have been put up across the city, and no one can claim ignorance about the move. “We have decided to take leave and attend the function this year,” he said.

However, factory owners are not too happy with these plans. Devesh Patel, a loom factory owner and president of the Ved Road Industrial Association, said, “There are 60 labourers working in my factory. I will face a major staff crunch. There are 3,000 textile factories situated in our Association area. Members of our association have complained about these pamphlets and the mass leaves taken by their employees to attend the festival. At present, the textile industry is facing a recession. We have tried to convince the workers, but have not succeeded so far.”

Another textile factory owner in Katargam GIDC, Mahesh Patel said, “We had faced a similar situation last year.

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However, this year the proportion of workers heading home has increased.

Many factories in our areas are facing a staff shortage. This will definitely affect the textile industry.”

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