Former sarpanch donates Rs 10 lakh towards venture
Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar, Loliem-Polem Sarpanch Nisha Chari and others inaugurate the Loliem crematorium.
CANACONA
The Loliem crematorium, one of the oldest in the taluka, has been renovated and modernised at a cost of about Rs 17 lakh, which included a donation of Rs 10 lakh from former sarpanch and sitting panch Ajay Lolienkar.
The renovated Loliem-Polem crematorium was inaugurated by Speaker and Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar in the presence of Sarpanch Nisha Chari, former sarpanch Mohandas Lolienkar, panch members and prominent citizens from the southernmost border village of Goa.
While the government spent Rs 7.5 lakh on the renovation, Ajay Lolienkar contributed an additional Rs 10 lakh in memory of his late mother.
Speaking on the occasion, Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar called on locals to make use of the crematorium and avoid cremating bodies out in open spaces.
“It is a good thing that former sarpanch Mohandas Lolienkar felt the need to set up a crematorium for the benefit of all villagers. It was an innovative task by the then sarpanch and people should maintain this crematorium and make its use to the fullest,” said Tawadkar.
Mohandas Lolienkar then explained the need of a crematorium in the village.
“There used to be frequent issues whenever a villager died regarding the place to cremate the body. Our panchayat panel then felt the need for a common place to cremate the dead and we acquired this land amid much difficulty, erected a crematorium and also made arrangements for firewood,” he said.
“However, people still did not perform cremations in this crematorium and instead, only came to request for firewood and they would cremate the bodies elsewhere in the open. Only in recent years, people understood the importance of this crematorium.”
Ajay (Ajit) Lolayekar informed that the panchayat body decided to renovate this crematorium, and though the sanctioned amount was just Rs 7.5 lakh, an additional Rs 10 lakh was needed to renovate the crematorium and he donated that amount in memory of his late mother who was among the many villagers cremated in the crematorium.
Earlier, Sarpanch Nisha Chari welcomed the gathering, while panch and ex-sarpanch Sachin Naik spoke and Dy Sarpanch Ashutosh Bandekar proposed a vote of thanks. OSD to Speaker Santosh Lolayekar compered the event.
