Pyre outside panchayat sparks action on crematorium

Lokmat News Network

Khuldabad:

Angry residents of Khade Pimpalgaon in Khuldabad staged a dramatic protest on Monday by laying a funeral pyre outside the gram panchayat, as the village lacks a public crematorium. The incident occurred during the funeral of a young man and led to tense moments, forcing the revenue, panchayat samiti and police administrations to rush to the spot. Following the protest, the administration finally allotted 20 gunthas of grazing (gairan) land for a public crematorium, where the last rites were later performed.

Khade Pimpalgaon has no designated cremation ground, forcing villagers to perform last rites in their own fields. This creates serious difficulties for landless families. On Sunday night, Vishal Rohidas Wakchaure (23), a resident of the village, died in an accident in the Waluj MIDC area. His funeral was scheduled for Monday afternoon. While preparations were initially made in a farm area, objections were raised, bringing the long-pending crematorium issue to the forefront.

Relatives and villagers, angered by the absence of a public cremation ground, laid the pyre outside the gram panchayat demanding land. Tension prevailed in the village. Upon receiving information, Nayab tehsildar Subhash Pandhare and police inspector Dhananjay Farate arrived with staff and held discussions with villagers for nearly four hours. Eventually, 20 gunthas of gairan land were allotted for a crematorium, after which the funeral was performed at around 3.30 pm.

20 gunthas allotted for crematorium

Twenty gunthas of grazing land in Gut No. 194 have been allotted for a public crematorium in Khade Pimpalgaon, and the site has been immediately cleared.

Tarpaulin held over the pyre

Around three-and-a-half months ago, on September 1, villagers had to hold a tarpaulin over a burning pyre during heavy rain due to the absence of a crematorium. Despite this incident, no action had been taken by the administration until now.

— Swarup Kankal, Tehsildar

Funds sanctioned for crematorium

Funds of Rs 10 lakh under the Jan Suvidha Yojana and an additional Rs 10 lakh for beautification totalling Rs 20 lakh have been sanctioned for the crematorium.

— Prakash Naik, Group Development Officer

(Photo )