THE GOAN NETWORK
PERNEM
Tension prevailed in Mandrem on Monday after some residents from one ward objected to the cremation of the body of an 86-year-old man from another ward.
Officials rushed to the site to defuse the tension and the body was finally cremated in an open space behind the Mandrem panchayat.
According to locals, the acute scarcity of land in Mandrem has prompted landowners to fence off their properties, which earlier used to be sites for cremation of bodies, thereby causing severe problems for families who do not own land.
There is a crematorium on government land at Junaswaddo-Mandrem, but residents of other wards in the village complained they were not being allowed by locals of Junaswaddo to use that crematorium.
An 86-year-old man from another ward passed away but the body was not allowed to be cremated in the crematorium at Junaswaddo.
As tempers flared up, senior officials rushed to the site and attempted to pacify both groups to defuse the tension.
Speaking to reporters, Mandre MLA Dayanand Sopte said the crematorium had been built for all people and appealed to residents in the village to be empathetic in such situations.
“Efforts are being made to resolve this issue with the involvement of local elected representatives and authorities concerned,” said Sopte.
The burning issue is now over ownership of the crematorium at Junaswaddo.
While Sopte claims that the crematorium was built by the government at a cost of Rs 5 lakh, locals have insisted that they have built the crematorium from their own funds and have challenged those claiming it to be built by the government to show proof of construction.
