Fisherfolk want better facilities at crematoriums

Fishermen have urged the State government to ensure that necessary facilities at burial grounds and crematoriums are available for coastal communities. They say many lack even basic infrastructure such as lighting, water, burning sheds and approach roads. 

At Odaikuppam near the Ashtalakshmi Temple in Besant Nagar, a resident said that the crematorium had not lights and did not have a proper burning shed. “A path was laid using building rubble and on top of that interlocking bricks were laid. But the entire thing has come off and we are finding it difficult to even to walk carrying the bodies of the deceased,” said a resident, who chose to remain anonymous. 

At the nearby Thiruvanmiyur Kuppam, the crematorium is being used by non-fishers. “There was some problem and now only people of other castes have obtained the permission to use it. There is a case and we have to get impleaded so that we too can use the facility, said a resident.

At Nainarkuppam down the East Coast Road (ECR), fishers have been fighting a battle to retrieve the land that had been donated to the fishing community. “The High Court has told the Greater Chennai Corporation in 2023 to ensure the crematorium has proper approvals. But, so far nothing has happened. The police is preventing us from using the land bestowed tous,” said Arul, a community leader who has been fighting for the rights of his village to cremate/bury their dead in land that had been use for several decades now.

Community leader K. Bharathi said that instances of lack of facilities at crematoriums were to be found all over the State. “At some places like Semmancheri on the ECR, development projects have forced our people to move away from spaces that have been used for centuries even. The lack of a collective voice has led to such a situation. We have written to Chief Minister M. K. Stalin urging him to safeguard our rights,” he added.