Kasaragod (Kerala): Locals from a small village in Kasargod, one of Kerala's least developed districts, had to carry the corpse of a Kerala State Electricity Board Assistant Engineer for more than a kilometre to perform his last rites. The villagers had to carry his body through tough terrains and a small wooden bridge to reach the deceased's native home in Pulimkochi Colony.
It is not uncommon to see villagers carry patients or even the corpses of their loved ones to the nearest health centre on foot for kilometres. However, when this happens in Kerala, a state which has surpassed all others in terms of social development, it is a painful sight.
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The deceased, P A Gopalan had died on Sunday night at a private hospital in Kasargod where he was undergoing treatment. His relatives and neighbours had to wait for an entire night before they could go back to their homes as it is not possible to transport the body during the night. Nearly 30 scheduled tribe families reside in his village, which is inaccessible by roads.
Due to the lack of road connectivity, villagers have to traverse a rocky terrain and walk across a small wooden bridge to cross a violent waterfall. Given the incessant rains which are plaguing the state for the past few weeks, the village gets completely disconnected from the nearby towns and cities. Students are unable to attend school during the monsoon.
According to Sanal, a local from Pulimkochi, the District administration including the Panchayat and the Collector has not taken any measures to improve the situation. "We have been demanding a proper bridge here and had given petitions to Panchayat, District Panchayat, and even to Collector. But no action is taken on our petitions," he said.
"It is very difficult to carry anything across this bridge. This bridge was made by villagers using wood. The flow in the waterfall is very strong and you can hear the raging sound of it. We could not bring the body of that person yesterday itself as it takes about two and a half hours to reach here and it would be impossible to take the body home at night," Sanal said.
