No bridge to cremation ground forces villagers to carry bodies through mud
Khapari village in Yavatmal district has no bridge to its cremation ground, forcing residents to carry bodies through mud for the final rites.
A problem that residents of Khapari village in Ghatanji tehsil of Yavatmal district face every time they have to bid farewell to a loved one has come to light. There is no bridge leading to the village's cremation ground, forcing residents to carry the body through a muddy path. The lack of government facilities is otherwise a persistent headache for people, but here the issue concerns the sensitive occasion of last rites, making the matter more serious.
A river flows near Khapari village, and on the other side of it lies the cremation ground, along with a well-known temple. Villagers say that whether or not there is water in the river, the path leading to the other side is always very muddy. This means that during the final journey, people have to carefully carry the body along a slippery path.
The problem worsens during the rainy season. The water and mud become so bad that at times it is not even possible to use that path. In such situations, villagers are forced to carry the body about 3 to 4 kilometres away to Ghatanji town for the cremation.
According to villagers, the demand for a bridge to the cremation ground has been raised for years, but the problem remains unresolved due to local political factionalism and alleged administrative negligence. They allege that reports on this issue have appeared before and the matter has been raised with public representatives and officials, yet no permanent solution has emerged. Villagers are asking that if attempts to build a bridge were indeed made earlier, why construction has still not happened.
Villagers say that delays in other development works may perhaps be understandable, but a safe path to reach the cremation ground is a basic and sensitive need, and the administration and public representatives should act on it as a priority. Their demand is that a bridge be built at the earliest to reach the cremation ground in Khapari village, so that no one has to risk their life carrying a body through mud during the rainy season for the final journey.
Villagers say the problem is not limited to Khapari alone, and that other parts of Ghatanji tehsil face similar shortages of basic facilities. It remains to be seen how seriously the administration and public representatives take the matter and when concrete steps are taken to build the bridge.
