C.M. Paul
Kolkata, September 1, 2025 —In a crowded corner of Kolkata, where life unfolds along a busy drainage canal, 35 families lost everything in a devastating fire. Their makeshift homes, built from plastic and tin, were reduced to ash, leaving them with no shelter and no hope. For months, they endured the city’s harsh climate, living under tarpaulin sheets, forgotten by a world that moved on. But their despair was met with compassion when the Don Bosco Development Society (DBDS) Kolkata stepped in, transforming a landscape of rubble into a neighborhood of brick and mortar, and proving that even in the face of utter loss, a new home, and a new life, can be built from the ground up.
The devastating blaze in the Narkeldanga slum behind Sealdah railway station in February 2025 left 35 families with nothing but the clothes on their backs. For several months, they lived in the open due to a general apathy from both the authorities and the public. In desperation, the families approached the DBDS for help. A visit by Fr. Mathew George and his team confirmed their dire living conditions, spurring the swift planning and construction of new houses.
“The project was not just about building structures; it was about rebuilding a community’s soul,” says Fr Mathew George who had earlier worked in the Canal Road slums.
The construction began after several meetings with the people who lost their houses, the Ward Councilor, local police, and political leaders. On August 31, in a simple yet moving ceremony, 34 houses were blessed and handed over to the people.
A mother, looking at her new home with a mix of disbelief and joy, shared: “We were living under plastic sheets for months, and it was getting harder every day. The rains would come inside, and we couldn’t cook. This is not just a house; it’s our dignity back. We can now give our children a safe place to sleep and a real future.”
The project adds to DBDS’s long-standing commitment to slum communities. So far, the organization has built 564 low-cost houses along the city’s drainage canals, transforming the lives of hundreds of marginalized families. As part of this latest relief effort, DBDS also distributed essential household items like tin boxes, pots, and stoves, recognizing that the fire had stripped the families of everything they owned.
“The fire took everything from us,” a young man said. “Every single thing we worked for was gone. When Salesian fathers promised to help, we didn’t fully believe it. But they came, and they built this. It’s not just four walls; it’s a new beginning. We feel like we matter again.