MAPUSA
As the bulldozers began their slow, ominous advance in Cunchelim, Kushi Astekar (name changed) sat alone in a quiet corner of her modest home.
It was an illegal house by regulation, but to Kushi and her husband, it was their dream made tangible “ a small but hard-won space where they had hoped to grow old together.
Now it sat eerily empty, their belongings packed and shifted days ago as a precaution.
Despite all warnings, a part of Kushi still clung to hope that somehow their home, like others, might be spared.
“We poured all our life savings to build this little home. Our dreams are shattered. We have been deceived by crooked people who prey on simple people like us,” she whispered, covering her tear-streaked face with trembling hands.
Her husband stood nearby, eyes vacant as he took in the scene, the reality sinking in that this was the end of the life they’d imagined.
Kushi’s despair echoed through the community. She was one of 35 families, each with their own heartache and story, watching as their homes crumbled under the relentless force of the bulldozers.
One after another, houses collapsed “ lives reduced to rubble in mere minutes. Each family stood in silence, bearing witness to the unthinkable: the destruction of the place they called home.
“We didn’t file complaints because we were assured that we’d be accommodated somewhere else. But now we realise we were deceived,” said Priyanka, a resident whose house on a 200-square-metre property was now gone.
Like many others, Priyanka had trusted the assurances given to them, believing there was still a chance for negotiation and a place to belong.
Desperate and grasping for any chance to save their homes, the affected families rallied together in a last-ditch effort, going to the residence of their local MLA, Joshua D’Souza, the night before the demolition. They pleaded with him, hoping he might intervene.
It was a moment that drove home the feeling of abandonment for the families, who had relied on the support of local representatives and officials.
Even the deputy collector, whom they approached, offered no relief, expressing his helplessness to change the situation.
The day’s events were a hard reality for families like Kushi’s. Their hopes had been dashed and their futures were now uncertain.
Stripped of their homes and dreams, the residents of Cunchelim face an uncertain road ahead “ a journey made all the more painful by the trust they had placed in promises that were ultimately broken.
