Colonial Era’s cremation ground at Assam's Digboi in a shambles

 OUR CORRESPONDENT

DIGBOI: The Colonial Era’s Cremation Ground at the historic Oil town of Digboi, in the Itavatta area of Ward 1 of Digboi Municipal Board bordering the AOD New Tank Farm area (NTF) in the Tinsukia district, is in an extremely dilapidated, poor, unhygienic, and disturbing state.

According to Bhaskar Gogoi, who had been in the pyre procession of his sister recently, the scenario of the cremation ground was in such an ugly state that the Karta of the family had to perform the post-death rites with much difficulty amidst heaps of burnt wood lying at sixes and sevens.

‘The roof-top of the crematorium was blown away, lending a clearer view of the sky above; the luxuriant growth of the wild bushes all around the premises creates a sense of insecurity among the people accompanying the bereaved family members; the deserted and dilapidated godown close by’ reminds us of a ‘haunted house’, briefed Mr. Gogoi during his interaction with The Sentinel.

God alone can help improve the situation, exclaimed Binod Chetry, the president of the Gorkha Student Body, Digboi, who, on his visit to the cremation ground last month, expressed resentment over the poor administration of the ground. “We have already put forward several memoranda to the AOD authority earlier to this effect, but nothing fruitful is visible on the ground.

“Wild growth of bushes plagues the ground; the remains of cloths, pot shreds, and heaps of waste from previous rites were found scattered all around the ground,” said Mr. Chetry, while condemning the stepmotherly attitude of the AOD Management and the inefficient and lethargical spirits of the Hindu Cremation Ground Management Committee. Of course, the Digboi Municipal Board could have brought relief with its interference in drawing up an effective mechanism in the best interest of the people of Digboi.

Sidhartha Shyam, the eldest son of a decreased who had to struggle last week putting the corpse of his mother on the pyre, said, The dead deserve a better place than the kind of atmosphere here in Digboi cremation ground’.

“I am afraid the nuisance might turn into a breeding ground for dreadful diseases like plague, dangue, etc.,” he said.

According to a former member of the Cremation Ground Management Committee, the AOD authority has been requested to fix the lighting issue on the premises, but in vein, adding that there are at present only two paid staff members under the committee: one is an office boy and the other is a gardener.

“There has been a dearth of Chandalas to dispose of the corpses for several years, while the committee charges Rs 200 against the cremation of each corpse. Not less than 35 to 40 corpses are cremated every month,” said one of the former office-bearers of the Management Committee.

Even the local legislator, Suren Phukan, had on August 18, 2018, accorded an amount of Rs 10 lakh from his MLA Local Area Development Fund for the development and maintenance of the cremation ground.

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