Team Herald
BICHOLIM: Mayem villagers on Friday informed Bicholim Mamlatdar Pravinjay Pandit that they would decide on allowing cremation of non- Goans in the village crematorium at a village committee meeting scheduled in August this year.
Till then, they said, the migrants will have to cremate their dead in Bicholim municipal crematorium.
The villagers conveyed this decision to the mamlatdar at a meeting convened by him to resolve the dispute of cremation of non-Goans in Mayem village crematorium. The meeting was held in the conference hall of the mamlatdar office and was attended by Deputy Collector Sachin Desai.
At the meeting, the villagers complained that, few years ago, some migrants had assaulted some locals; and that blocking the cremation of migrants in the village crematorium was in retaliation for the assault.
However, the Chikodi family, whose member Kalappa’s body was blocked from cremation in Mayem, said that they cannot be held responsible for the acts of other migrants. The Chikodi family pleaded that they be allowed to live peacefully in the village.
To a question by the mamlatdar, a Mayem panch said that the gram sabha has not passed any resolution not to allow the migrants to cremate their dead in the village crematorium. However, he informed that the village committee has decided not to allow the migrants to cremate their dead in the village crematorium.
The villagers told the mamlatdar that if the migrants give an undertaking to abide by the local customs, then, the village committee at its August meeting may take a favourable decision on the issue.
This demand was readily accepted by Chikodi and other migrant families. Following this, the issue was settled for the time being.
