Lack of cremation site forces Budaun family to shield funeral pyre with tarpaulin amid rain

Budaun: A family in Jagatua village of Uttar Pradesh's Budaun district was forced to shield a funeral pyre with tarpaulin sheets during heavy rains on Sunday due to the lack of basic facilities at the local cremation site.

The incident came to light after a video of the funeral, held in Islamnagar block of Bisauli tehsil, surfaced on social media, prompting the local administration to take cognisance of the matter.

Islamnagar Block Development Officer (BDO) Munawwar Khan confirmed that Jagatua village does not have a properly developed cremation site.

After the death of an elderly man, Ram Kumar Sharma, his family and villagers hastily erected makeshift plastic covers to prevent the pyre from being extinguished by rain.

Locals said the village lacks proper cremation infrastructure -- there is no shed, platform or even a signboard marking the site, only an open plot of land designated as the cremation ground.

"What’s the use of a cremation ground where there are no basic facilities? Today, we somehow managed by covering the area with plastic sheets, but it was a very bad experience during our moment of grief,” Ajay Sharma, Ram's son.

He urged the government to ensure that proper arrangements are made so families do not face such difficulties during funeral rites.

BDO Khan said, "In our entire block, only four gram sabhas have cremation grounds, out of which two are newly constructed. Construction of such facilities is subject to special funds allocated by the government."

He acknowledged the hardships villagers face during the monsoon season and added that he would write to the chief development officer and district magistrate to apprise them of the matter and seek a prompt solution.