It was a struggle that began long before she got married. Now, widowed with two children, Smitha's ordeal continues.
Wife of the late Jacob Roy, Smitha’s family was among the 14 families that were evicted from Mulavukad 12 years ago for the construction of Goshree Bridges but were denied land for their rehabilitation.
While the bridges spurred a construction boom, including multi-storeyed buildings, five-star hotels and national and international projects in the area, for this family in Mulavukad it meant nothing more than a life time without a strong roof over their heads.
Smitha’s husband Jacob Roy, a stonemason, was among the evictees who were in the forefront of the struggle demanding rehabilitation. “He had taken to hunger strike twice. A few months after the first one, the government provided land to those who were in the BPL category. But, we were denied land saying that two members in our family were employed. We continued with the struggle. My husband had to be hospitalised after he went on with his hunger struggle. But, he still refused to take food until the then District Collector and authorities promised us the land. That was back in 2006,” said Bridget Antony, mother of Jacob Roy.
It is now almost a month after Jacob Roy died after being electrocuted. The only breadwinner in the family now is Jacob Roy’s father who is 68 years old. Smitha says she needs to find some job for herself.
Meanwhile, cracks have appeared on the walls of the house where the family lives. “We started living here with the hope that we can move out soon as the authorities have assured us land and jobs. Now, it has been a decade.
We have approached everyone including the District Collectors, MLAs and ministers. Now, there is no one to continue with the struggle,” says Bridget Antony, who still remembers vividly the dismantling of her house.
“We built that house after living on rent for 14 years. It was a two-storeyed house. We could hardly live there for a few years before it was all gone,” she says. Meanwhile, Mulavukad grama panchayat authorities said they were willing to provide three cents of land for the evicted families. “The panchayat has identified some land that can be given to the evictees provided the GIDA bears the cost of the land,” said Mulavukad grama panchayat member V S Ansar.
However, authorities with the GIDA say there is no provision to provide the land to Above Poverty Line families. “We have informed the authorities concerned about the issue,” said GIDA sources.
