This refers to the front page news report 'Sangolda tense as 16 structures razed' (TGE, April 13). It was heart-rending to read the report and see the accompanying photograph of a distraught woman pleading with the police and the authorities to spare her house from demolition. How can the Goa government be so heartless as to demolish the houses of migrants who have been living here for more than 30-40 years without providing them with alternative accommodation?
The question is how were these houses provided with water and electric connections over the years, and occupants given voter cards if these houses were illegal? There can be no denying the fact that politicians have been using these hapless residents as vote banks, but are now distancing themselves in their hour of need. And what was the village panchayat of Sangolda doing all these years? These are questions that no one can answer today. Surely it's not a one-off case, as Goa abounds in illegal structures.
