KARSTEN MIRANDA
MARGAO: As Goa prepares to solemnly observe Holy Week and celebrate Easter Sunday, the residents of Velsao find themselves trapped in a modern-day crucifixion of their own – caught between age-old religious traditions and the relentless advance of railway construction that has left them physically and spiritually landlocked.
On Palm Sunday, the faithful of Primeiro Vaddo conducted their annual Way of the Cross procession along the same path their ancestors have walked for generations – now transformed into an obstacle course of mud mounds and construction debris dumped by South Western Railway (SWR). What was once a solemn 350-metre walk to the Assumption of Our Lady Church has become a dangerous trek, with worshippers forced to navigate steep, unstable slopes where the railway has elevated the land up to 4 metres in some places. "We risk our lives to practice our faith," said one elderly parishioner, struggling to climb the
makeshift path.
"This is their new Stations of the Cross," remarked another local resident, watching the congregation struggle through the debris-strewn path. "Each mound of dirt represents another station in their passion." As the community prepares for Easter, their resurrection hope lies not in Sunday celebrations, but in the April 21 hearing at the Inspector of Survey and Land Records court - possibly their last chance to reclaim what the railways have taken allegedly with tacit support of the authorities.
Even as that date approaches, for over 75% of the church's parishioners who reside west of the tracks, this Holy Week has laid bare their growing isolation. The impending permanent closure of the northern level crossing – meant to facilitate express coal trains – will leave hundreds of residents with only one southern access point near St Anne's Convent on the Velsao-Cansaulim border. What was once a simple crossing now requires a 1,700 metre detour, turning routine church visits into punishing journeys.
Orville Dourado Rodrigues, founder of Goencho Ekvott (GE), points to the cruel irony: "The (alleged) illegal occupier of our land, SWR, has put up notices warning against trespassing on what they falsely claim as their property. This is our ancestral land they've laid claim through fraudulent means without a single legal document." His words echo the pain of a community that has watched helplessly as the railway barricaded traditional crossing points at ‘Bhavteakode’ – named after the now-destroyed railway signal that once stood as a neighbourhood landmark.
The situation has worsened in recent days, with railways erecting new barriers at the usual crossing spots in just the last 10 days. Villagers point specifically to the destroyed crossover at 'Bhavteakode'. This crossing point, used for generations, has been completely obliterated by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), forcing residents to take dangerous detours or risk climbing unstable mounds.
The daily indignities mount. One villager who has travelled abroad has been informed by the villagers that her car – parked on what has always been community land – forcibly towed by railway officials to Verna police station. "This is criminal trespass and theft," fumed a neighbour. Others describe the impossibility of parking near their own homes, forced to leave vehicles at distant spots and walk precarious paths usually in the dark at night to their doorsteps.
Even as they mourn their vanishing way of life, residents recognize this Holy Week marks not an end, but the beginning of a harsher reality. The ancestral homes that once proudly faced the railway tracks now stare at towering mud walls, their entrances sealed. The familiar rhythms of village life – children walking to school, elders visiting neighbours, vendors making their rounds – have been disrupted by the railway's tracks project advances, primarily benefiting what critics call "the coal mafia." With the tacit support of the State administration, the railways continue the work despite a Stop Work Order issued by the village panchayat of Velsao-Pale-Issorcim.
The situation threatens to worsen as monsoon season approaches. The same pathways now blocked by construction debris once served as critical stormwater drains, channelling flood-waters toward River Sal tributaries in Pale village. With these natural drainage systems compromised, both Velsao and neighbouring communities face potential flooding disasters.
The bitter truth hangs heavy over Velsao's Holy Week observances: while Goa celebrates Christ's triumph over death, these villagers fight a daily battle against being erased from their own land. Their Easter miracle would be simple: to walk freely again on the paths their grandparents built.
"When we pray during this Holy Week," one villager remarked, watching children struggle up a muddy incline to reach church, "we're witnessing the systematic destruction of our community's way of life." It's a far cry from the times when these ancestral houses had their entrances facing the railway tracks, homes to precious memories and a way of life that is now being crushed under the rubble.