CUNCOLIM: The crematorium at Madicotta in Cuncolim has today emerged as a shining example of how all can be treated equally even in difficult times like death of a near and dear one.
Managed by Vir Vithal Mandir Trust with Dinesh Avdhi as its current president, anybody, irrespective of their caste or creed and economic status, can be cremated here, provided a valid death certificate is produced, said Dattaraj Hegde a trustee.
The crematorium was constructed in 2001 on 1,500 sq mts of land that was donated by Ramakrishan Ghodekar. While 1,000 sq mts of land was used to construct the crematorium, rain trees were planted on the remaining land to yield firewood for funeral pyres.
This crematorium was built at a cost of around Rs 10.5 lakh under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development scheme when Ramakant Angle was the MP .
“We charge only Rs 3,000 for cremation so that anybody, including the economically weaker section, can use this facility,” said Hegde.
He disclosed that there has been some trimming of the wild bushes and rain trees, which will be used as firewood.
“We are now going to plant 200 local plants in the open space so that their produce can be used to help maintain the crematorium and their trimmed branches can be used as firewood for the pyres,” added Hegde.
Beyond serving as a mere infrastructure project, this crematorium symbolises the resilience and unity of the local populace, said Vivek Padiyar a retired school teacher from Madicotta.