THOOTHUKUDI: People of all communities residing in Manakkarai village near Vallanadu have agreed to ensure that the public road leading to the crematorium is common for all, said District Collector Dr K Senthil Raj. The district administration had arranged a peace meeting at Srivaikuntam taluk office after the Pallar community of Manakkarai Keezhur were barred from using a public road for funeral processions.
The peace meeting was chaired by collector Dr K Senthil Raj, in the presence of Sub Collector Gaurav Kumar, Srivaikuntam DSP Mayavan, Manakkarai panchayat president. Representatives of the Scheduled Caste community, Nadars and Thevars of the village attended the meeting.
"All the communities have unanimously passed some resolutions that the road leading to the burial ground of the Scheduled Castes of Manakkarai Keezhur is common to all," said the collector.
According to the resolutions, funeral processions of all communities are allowed on this stretch and any interruption would be seen as a crime. "The dead bodies shall not be carried through the private paddy fields and the field inspection found it infeasible to construct a road across the fertile agriculture lands. The revenue and the police should be on vigil and maintain the law and order during the funeral procession of scheduled castes of Keezhur village," the resolutions read.
Earlier in the day, the collector inspected hamlets in Manakkarai and went to crematoriums of both the communities. After inspection, he instructed the Block Development Officer (BDO) concerned to survey the crematorium land to lay the boundary stones and construct walls around it. He also ordered the BDO to repair the road stretch leading to burial ground from Naduvakurichi and provide an expansion at its entrance. Additional street lamps must be installed at the earliest, Senthil Raj added.