Floods push Biharis to Punjab

Rajpura : “Ek roti aur aachaar pey hum do raat guzaarey hain (we survived two nights on a chapatti and some pickle),” said Rani Devi, seated in the tiny space adjacent to a train lavatory, tightly holding her two young children aged four and five. “As the train reached Punjab, some good Samaritans offered us milk, tea and pakoras,” she added, her face lighting up for a while. “I wonder what is in store for us with our cattle and crops swept away in floods back home in Bihar,” she looked at her kids dolefully. Rani Devi is among thousands of flood-hit Biharis rushing to Punjab for sustenance — damp clothes thrown into jute bags and water bottles tucked under their arms. They are coming in groups from Purnia, Araria, Kishanganj and Katihar amid reports of the situation worsening with breaches in the embankments at Darbhanga, Katihar and Sitamarhi. One such batch of migrants that arrived in Rajpura from Saharsa via the Jan Sewa Express told The Tribune they were hopeful of finding employment in industrial units at Bathinda, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar since the labour- intensive paddy season had come to an end.
Each of them carrying a packet of relief material, Saharsa residents Rajkumar, Raibir and Raju Yadav said they intended to join their relatives in Ludhiana working in a hosiery unit there. “We lost our house, two cows and a goat in the floods. I waited for days for the situation to improve. With flood camps running out of supplies, I decided to leave everything behind,” said Raibir. According to official figures, 1.08 crore people have been hit by floods in 18 districts of Bihar.