Opposing the Revenue Department official’s move to utilise graveyard for road widening, residents of Rettai Vaikal, near Chithode, staged a sit-in protest on the graveyard premises here on Friday.
Residents of Pallapalayam panchayat were using the graveyard located along the Erode – Sathyamangalam highway for many years. Since work is on to convert the two-lane road into four-lane, officials informed people that the graveyard would be utilised for road widening and asked them not to use it. On Thursday, a body was buried in the graveyard and residents claimed that officials asked them to dig up the body and bury it in another place. They said they have been using the graveyard for 80 years and opposed the move to use it for road widening.
Officials from the revenue and police department held talks after which the protest was withdrawn. Revenue officials told them that alternative land would be allotted for the graveyard. But, people said they were not allowed to bury bodies at a graveyard at Karattupalayam that is used by a particular community. Police officials assured them that problems will not arise in using the graveyard at Karattupalayam.
Later, residents intercepted a car in which Bhavani MLA K.C. Karuppannan was heading to Kavundapadi. He inspected the graveyard and assured people that officials will take necessary action. Later, people left the spot.
Published - September 13, 2024 09:07 pm IST
