Villagers demand crematorium at Palimaru

As there is no cremation land in Palimaru Gram Panchayat limits, the residents of the village tried to cremate the body of a dead man, in front of the Gram Panchayat office on Monday.

Poovappa Mestri, a 65-year-old mason, died on Sunday night, following heart attack. As there is no crematorium land in Palimaru, the body had to be taken to the nearby village. Opposing the lack of facility, his relatives, villagers and Dalit Sanghars Samiti activists staged a protest in front of the office and set up the funeral pyre to cremate the body.

The police intervened and convinced the protesters to withdraw their decision. The body was later cremated near the house of the deceased. The villagers had submitted a memorandum to the Gram Panchayat to provide a crematorium to Palimaru as bodies have to be taken to Padubidri Gram Panchayat limits. A 1.05 acre land was identified in Adve-Palimaru for the purpose. But when the Gram Panchayat started the work, a local person approached the court and got a stay order, they said.

Opposing this, the villagers boycotted the ward meeting proposed to be held at Palimar Gram Panchayat on Monday. Tahsildar Maheshchandra, who visited the spot, directed the village accountant to identify another land for crematorium.

Gram Panchayat president Jithendra Furtado said that efforts will be made to vacate the stay order for the construction of crematorium. A fund of Rs 15 lakh, from MLALAD fund and GP grants have been reserved for crematorium, he added.