Enough of development, Xeldem locals cry as roads become deathtraps

Margao: “If this is what you call development, then enough of it. This is not development, this is torture. I will call it cruelty towards people,” says Rajani Chari (name changed), her voice trembling with rage, tears of frustration streaming down her face as she stands beside a crater-sized pothole.Rajani’s words capture what many in Xeldem feel but are afraid to say aloud – their suffering has become so prolonged and severe that their endurance has reached breaking point. Nearly three years of sewerage work transformed the roads of Xeldem into deathtraps.The roads have been completely washed away by rains and excavation work for sewer lines that continued well after the monsoon set in. Residents have to navigate through countless bone-jarring potholes along the already narrow roads, while water pumps extract water from overflowing manholes of underground sewerage lines.“It is like someone is stabbing knives into my spine with every pothole I hit, every single day,” says Sarina Rodrigues (name changed), a bank employee whose 15-minute commute to Curchorem has turned into everyday torture. “I may have spent more on painkillers and physiotherapy in the past six months than I have on petrol.” Locals complain of having developed chronic back pain, neck pain, and joint problems from the rickety drives.

Local mechanics have seen their business boom, but they sound apologetic about profiting from people’s misery.For three years, villagers endured frequent road closures and lengthy detours, suffering in silence with hopes that hardships would end soon. But patience has worn thin as the sewerage project drags on endlessly, while the ongoing monsoon threatens to worsen the already dire conditions.Another resident sums up the villagers’ despair: “We’re only asking for the basics. We just want to be able to step out of our homes without fearing for our safety. But who cares?”