CHARILAM: In a stark illustration of the lack of basic infrastructure in rural Tripura, residents of Puranbari area under Charilam have been forced to carry the bodies of their deceased across a river on foot to reach the local cremation ground, due to the complete absence of a motorable road.
Visuals from the area show mourners shouldering a body and wading through the river, with no bridge or alternative route available to transport the deceased with dignity. Locals say this has been the harsh reality for the community for years, with successive administrations failing to address the issue despite the area’s proximity to development schemes elsewhere.
Residents have expressed deep frustration, questioning the state of “development” in the region when even the dead are denied a dignified final journey. They have demanded the urgent construction of a road or bridge connecting Puranbari to the cremation ground, to spare grieving families this ordeal in the future.