Karur villagers forced to carry bodies through knee-deep water owing to lack of pathway, crematorium

KARUR: People of Melaveliyur village are forced to carry bodies of their dear ones through knee-deep waterlogged path due to lack of proper pathway and crematorium facilities in the region.

Melaveliyur is a remote village in Kalladai panchayat of Thogamalai union. There are more than 60 residential units in the village's east street with no proper facility. For a long time, the villagers have been demanding a crematorium from the government to carry out the last rites, but no action was reportedly taken.

People have been cremating the bodies near Kalladai pond. At this juncture, the recent rains inundated the fields and several lands in Kalladai panchayat. As water didn't recede, the people are forced to carry bodies through a waterlodged pathway to carry out last rites.

Senthil Kumar, an advocate and one of the villagers, told TNIE, "The villagers have been using Aathuvari drain of Kalladai pond to cremate the bodies. The floodwater from Kalladai pond flows into Aathuvari drain during heavy rains. For several years, there was no heavy rain in this region. Also, there is no overbridge to carry the bodies."

"A private land's owner has been refusing to allow the people to carry dead bodies to the cremation ground through his farmland. With two different community people living in the region, neither of them have a crematorium, it is making things even more difficult. The government must take necessary action to build a common cremation ground for both the community people and set up all the basic facilities for the people here," he added.

Thogamalai BDO M Mangaiyarkarasi told TNIE, "As soon as the problem arose, we had sent a proposal to the DRDA, Karur to build an overbridge across the Aathuvari drain. We will start the works once we receive the approval and the funds are allotted. Currently, there is no plan to build a crematorium in the village."