Administrative stalemate holding up crematorium

Many residents of Paingottoor do not have land of their own for funerals

For the people of Paingottoor panchayat, an idyllic village on the eastern suburbs of Ernakulam bordering the neighbouring Idukki district, the trauma of the loss of dear ones goes beyond their very death.

The panchayat with considerable forest cover and the population being largely made up of poor migrant farmers, majority of the residents do not have land of their own to either bury or cremate the bodies. Their only option being to take the bodies to the municipal crematorium either at Muvattuzha or Thodupuzha located around 17 km and 16 km away respectively.

Though Kothamangalam block panchayat had identified around 50 cents of excess land in Neduvakkad in ward 3 of Paingottoor panchayat for an electric crematorium in association with Paingottoor panchayat back in 2016-17, it has been a case of continued disruption.