KAKINADA: For the more than a century, Bhogapuram Panchayat in Pithapuram mandal has lacked a designated burial ground, forcing villagers to bury bodies of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities along the roadside leading to their agricultural fields.
Residents said the practice has caused severe inconvenience, with skulls scattered in the open and animals often pulling remains from shallow pits.
Community members, particularly from SC and ST groups, have appealed to officials for land allocation. While Backward Class (BC) and Other Caste (OC) communities have had separate burial grounds with compound walls and cremation facilities, SC and ST families remain deprived.
Villagers alleged they are barred from using the existing grounds, reflecting caste discrimination. On August 9, 2024, the Gram Panchayat passed a resolution to allocate 0.59 cents of land in Survey Nos. 55/2 and 59/2 for SC and ST communities. Normally, such resolutions are followed by revenue department action, but no land has been handed over. Despite petitions submitted to Kakinada District Collector Shan Mohan Sagili during a PGRS programme in Pithapuram, the issue remains unresolved.
Sarpanch Nepala Varalakshmi confirmed that while OC and BC communities were allotted 50 and 30 cents of land decades ago, SC and ST groups have been denied burial space.
Bhogapuram has a population of about 5,000, including 1,000 SC and ST voters. Villagers said the absence of a burial ground forces them to cremate bodies on roadsides, causing distress and humiliation. Resident Sambathula Kranti, a Janasena Party cadre, said the community has lived in the village for generations without even an inch of land for cremation.
He alleged local leaders are unwilling to facilitate a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan to present issue. During the PGRS programme at Dr BR Ambedkar Community Hall in Radhalapeta, petitions were received by RDO Itla Kishore and Social Welfare Department in-charge JD G Srinivasa Rao.
Revenue officials directed the Panchayat to pass a resolution, but the land transfer has not been implemented.
Pithapuram Tahsildar PVV Gopalakrishna told TNIE the matter had not come to his notice. He said a local leader had earlier promised to allocate one acre for the SC community, but it was not handed over to the government. “The issue will be sorted out after verification,” he said. Villagers continue to bury bodies along the roadside, underscoring the urgent need for a permanent burial ground to ensure dignity and equality for all communities.