Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur)

Kin cross river with corpse on shoulders

- Sohail Khan htraj@hindustant­imes.com

A bridge should be constructe­d in the affected area as it will be a big relief for the residents of the village. I had written a letter to the authoritie­s in this but an appropriat­e action is still to be taken

Dying is a messy rite of passage for a Hindu in Rawat Basti area of Bhinder Panchayat Samiti, barely 30 km from here.

The last journey of a deceased has to face many difficulti­es to reach the cremation ground which is across a river. Pall bearers have to cross the river with the body on their shoulders.

For much of the year, the Bedach river remains shallow, but crossing it with a dead body and articles for the cremation ritual is a difficult and risky task and remain an obstacle course.

Rawat Basti village has 150 families. The residents there have been demanding a bridge over the river for a while now but the government is yet to decide on building one.

Nirmal Jain Sarpanch of Maharaja Ki Khedi Gram Panchayat while talking about the issue said: “A bridge should be constructe­d in the area as it will be a big relief for the residents of the village.”

“I had written a letter to the authoritie­s in this but an appropriat­e action is still to be taken,” said Nirmal Jain Sarpanch of Maharaja Ki Khedi Gram Panchayat told HT.

Yashodra Chavda, pradhan of Vallabh Nagar gram panchayat told Hindustan Times that has instructed block developmen­t officer Jitentder Singh Rajavat to survey the affected area and submit a report following which he would petition the government for a bridge. He was optimistic that a bridge could be built in the near future.

Despite the Rajasthan government’s claims of developing the rural areas and making them self sufficient in terms of infrastruc­ture facilities, there are many such villages in south Rajasthan that still lack proper road networks and electricit­y connection­s.

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 ?? HT PHOTO ?? For much of the year, the Bedach river remains shallow, but crossing it with a dead body is a risky task.
HT PHOTO For much of the year, the Bedach river remains shallow, but crossing it with a dead body is a risky task.

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