VELLORE:A burial ground in Amanankuttai, which is attached to the Corporation, has remained in a state of neglect for more than six years hampering the performance of final rites by family members for those departed.
Neglect also led to the murder of a man in broad daylight by a gang on the ground premises recently with anti-social elements continuing to throng the grounds at night, drinking alcohol and gambling, locals said. With no compound wall around the grounds, stray cows continue to make the place their home, disturbing the conducting of the last rites.
To add to the woes, the burial ground, which includes a crematorium, is also being used by many residents in the locality to dump garbage.
The hall where people conduct pujas before cremation or burial, is in a dilapidated condition. The bathroom and an open room on the premises were closed as there was no water in the borewell.
Residents who wish to use the burial ground have to arrange for water on their own to conduct puja and bathe after the rituals.
Local residents have made no complaints about the condition of the burial ground.
However, when a senior official at the Vellore Corporation was contacted, he said, “As of now, development works of burial grounds in Ariyur and surrounding areas are in process. Amanankuttai is not on the list yet. But the local body will take steps to maintain the burial ground.”