Gollaprolu cremation ground sans basic amenities

Pithapuram: Gollaprolu, a town having a mere population of 30,000 lacks basic facilities in its only existent burial ground. The major concern here is lack of water facility at the burial ground.

According to Hindu philosophy, it is considered to be unholy if anyone who had gone to the burial ground return home without taking bath. Generally, any burial ground has either a well or canal or tank to cater to people’s absolution needs who walked to the cremation of a dead person. However, there is no municipal tap at the burial ground here.

The mourning family of the deceased should arrange for a water tanker to the cremation ground while taking the body to burial ground. In case if two or three die on the same day, the followers have to share the water from the tanker. Sometimes, they have to sprinkle water on their heads instead of taking bath.

The residents of the town rule that there are no basic amenities in the cremation ground here. There is neither drinking water available nor shelter or place to sit. Moreover, they complain that the road leading to the burial ground is full of potholes. The cremation ground also doubles up as a waste dumping yard.

An approach road to the burial ground was laid at a cost of Rs 18 lakh with the fourteenth finance commission funds. Except gravel, no other material used to lay the road could be seen and no one knows what happened to allocated Rs 18 lakh. In this context, people of the town have been demanding the authorities to provide basic amenities in the burial ground.

By Saride Nageswara Rao