Ghatal, 4 August (H.S.): Another painful picture of human helplessness and failure of government system has emerged in flood-hit Ghatal. In a picture that went viral on social media, it was seen that the dead body of a woman is being taken to the crematorium on a cart made of banana stems. This picture has created a political storm in the state.

According to local sources, the deceased woman is Mansa Chaudhary, a resident of ward number 9 of Ghatal Municipality. She was the wife of the late councillor of this ward, Kanhailal Chaudhary. She died around 12:30 pm on Sunday night. There was no road or vehicle facility to take the body to the crematorium located at the other end of the village. The waterlogging in the area is so severe that ultimately the family had to carry the body to the crematorium through the submerged roads by placing it on a bed of banana stems.

BJP MLA Sheetal Kapat strongly attacked the state government and the local administration over this incident. He said, “There was a plan to build an electric furnace in Ghatal years ago, but the work has not been completed till date. What did the municipality do in the name of development? What is the chairman doing? Crores of rupees are being looted in the name of the master plan.”

At the same time, giving clarification on this entire matter, Trinamool Congress leader and TMC Ghatal organizational district president Ajit Maiti said, “The body was carried by the relatives on a banana stem cart following traditional rituals through a boat. This may be an old tradition.”

Local residents and opposition parties question that when the state government makes so many claims of development, then why do such inhuman conditions arise to reach the crematorium during floods?

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey