Land allotted for common burial ground

Coimbatore: Following a controversy over the denial of permission to bury a 102-year-old woman from the arunthathiyar community at a common burial ground at Onnakarasampalayam near Annur on December 3, the district administration has identified 1.25 acres of poramboke land at Nallichettipalayam to set up a new common burial ground.
“The district administration will give its administrative sanction for the new common burial ground, which will come under the Karagoundenpalayam village panchayat. The district rural development agency (DRDA) has been tasked with setting up the new burial ground, 1.5km from Onnakarasampalayam,” Annur taluk tahsildar Thangaraj said.
People from all communities from Onnakarasampalayam, Nallichettipalayam, Kurumbapalayam, Salaiyur and Karegounenpalayam villages can bury their loved ones at the new burial ground soon.
Meanwhile, the Annur town panchayat is constructing an electric crematorium that would benefit all communities. The crematorium is expected to become functional within a few months.
The body of the 102-year-old woman, Rangammal, was kept on the road from 6pm on December 3 to 4am on December 4 after gounders refused to allow the body to be buried in the common burial ground at Onnakarasampalayam. Eventually, the body was buried at a burial ground meant for dalits at S Kurumbapalayam.
On verifying the land documents later, officials from Annur taluk found that the burial ground at Onnakarasampalayam was a poramboke land. Non-dalits have been using the land to bury their family members for decades. The poramboke land over the years became a common burial ground.
Last week, district collector GS Sameeran held a meeting with dalits and non-dalits from Onnakarasampalayam at the district collectorate. He assured them to find a place to set up a common burial ground near their village soon.