Lucknow: Silence hung heavy on Thursday as hundreds of fire-hit families returned to the ruins searching for pieces of their lives, where once thrived a bustling cluster of nearly 280 shanties.Dwellers from districts like Hardoi, Sitapur, Barabanki and Lakhimpur Kheri had arrived in Lucknow with nothing, and over the years built modest but meaningful lives. Now, everything lay reduced to ash.“We came here with nothing,” said Salman from Sitapur. Over 10 years, we bought everything. Today, we are back to zero.”Ayesha Bano rued, “My daughter’s wedding jewellery was inside. Everything is gone”.Another victim, Nazneen said, “The fire burned my jewellery and ₹30,000–40,000 cash. Even my goat went missing. We found it after eight hours.”Rajesh Kumar of Hardoi sat beside the debris, holding a half-burnt wedding card. His daughter Neelu was to be married on May 5. “We had saved for years. Everything is gone. How will I face the groom’s family now?”, he said.Munni Devi, a domestic help from Barabanki, said: “₹50,000 in cash, my jewellery, all finished. We worked in others’ homes, saved every rupee. In one night, it all vanished.”Pradeep, a class 8 student and son of a washerman, stood clutching the charred remains of what was once his school bag. “I had just got new books for the new session. All of them are burnt,” he said.Nearby, Rati, a class 7 student, broke down, “My teacher had gifted me books when I passed class 6 with good marks,” she said. I kept them safely, but everything is gone now.”Despite the administration arranging temporary relief, many refused to leave. “How can we go? This is all we have left,” said Sarita Devi of Kheri.Marut Nandan from Sitapur sat on a half-burnt trunk. Only days ago, he had sold his e-rickshaw to arrange money for his ailing mother’s operation.“I thought I was doing something right, saving my mother,” he said, his voice cracking. “I kept the money safely at home. Now everything is gone — my earnings, my vehicle, my hope.”
