RAD­HI­CA DE SIL­VA

rad­hi­ca.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

The clean-up of the Usine Ste Madeleine pond is now 95 per cent com­plete.

On Fri­day, for the first time in two years, res­i­dents of Corinth and Cedar Hill per­formed poo­ja (Hin­du prayers) on the banks of the pond in cel­e­bra­tion of the Hin­du Fes­ti­val of Ganesh Ut­sav.

Speak­ing to Guardian Me­dia, coun­cil­lor Shawn Prem­c­hand said now that Di­vali has been de­clared on Oc­to­ber 24, the vil­lagers are now plan­ning to hold a mas­sive Di­vali cel­e­bra­tion.

He said over 2,000 peo­ple at­tend­ed Fri­day’s cel­e­bra­tions.

The pond is con­sid­ered sa­cred.

Pun­dit Don­ny Sam­lal told Guardian Me­dia that devo­tees from eight mandirs came to­geth­er to save the pond.

The vil­lagers com­mend­ed con­trac­tor Michael Mooni­lal for as­sist­ing with the clean-up.

The pond, deemed a his­toric gem, is over 160 years old. Since the start of the pan­dem­ic, the pond has be­come over­grown with wa­ter hy­acinths and lilies. The pond was an in­te­gral part of the cool­ing sys­tem for the steam-pow­ered Usine Ste Madeleine fac­to­ry. Its wa­ter was al­so used for wash­ing down the fac­to­ry premis­es.