A heart-wrenching and questioning picture has emerged from Lakhmankhedi village under Gram Panchayat Jetpura, located just 15 kilometers from the Agar Malwa district headquarters of Madhya Pradesh. Here, after the death of an elderly woman, the villagers had to cross the river through waist-deep water in the funeral procession. Due to the negligence of the administration and lack of basic facilities, deep anger has been seen among the villagers.
The dead body was taken across the river after entering the water.
65 year old Leelabai of Darsaal village, husband Ranjit Singh had passed away. For the last rites, the family members and villagers took the dead body towards the cremation ground. But since the cremation ground in the village was on the other side of the river and there was no bridge built, everyone had to cross the river by wading into waist-deep water. This sequence continues for several months. The villagers crossed the river with a heavy heart, pulling out the bier of the elderly woman from the water. This scene would shock anyone.
Same situation every rain
This incident has once again exposed the condition of the village and administrative negligence. Villagers say that this is not the first time, this situation happens in every rain. During the rains, the river gets filled with water and when someone dies, the funeral procession has to cross the river to the cremation ground.
The crematorium is built on the other side of the river
Village Sarpanch Ramkunwar Bai Pati Nagusingh told on phone that there is no cremation land in our village, hence the cremation ground has been built on the other side of the river. Complaints and requests were made several times in writing from the MLA to the administration for the construction of the culvert, but till date the hearing has not taken place. The people of the village have been struggling with this problem for years. This entire incident has raised anger and questions on the system in the village. The question is that even after 75 years of independence, if in a village one has to cross a river for basic needs like last rites, then how true are the claims of development schemes.
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