Parbat's Jaljala Rural Municipality Begins Project to Systematize Cremation Sites

Myagdi. Jaljala Rural Municipality in Parbat, adjacent to the district headquarters Beni Bazaar, has initiated a construction project to systematically manage all cremation sites within the municipality at once.

In a cost-sharing partnership with the federal government, Jaljala Rural Municipality is moving to organize 18 cremation sites by constructing infrastructure. Most of Jaljala's cremation sites are located on the banks of the Kali Gandaki River. Ghats in areas with indigenous settlements, such as Lekhphat, Banmade, Dadakateri, Lopre, Kuwapani, and Banaul, will also be organized. JRS Engineering Solution and Construction Dang, which signed a contract worth NPR 25.8 million, has started the construction work for the project.

Jaljala Rural Municipality Chairman Rajupasad Acharya stated that infrastructure will be prepared to allow cremation even during rainfall, including shelters (sattals), footpaths leading to the ghats, changing rooms, shelters for mourners, toilets, and arrangements for water and electricity. "The project implementation began after the proposal made to the National Planning Commission for complementary budget was approved, following complaints from citizens about infrastructure deficiencies at ghats where many people gather," he said. "The plan is moving forward with the goal of completion within the current fiscal year."

Saplings of Banyan and Peepal trees, essential for Hindu last rites, will also be planted near the cremation sites, and management committees will be formed before handing them over to the community. Due to the lack of organized ghats, problems included bodies being swept away by floods during the monsoon, and mourners having to endure intense sun or rain. In Jaljala Rural Municipality-6 Shalija, two ghats have already been constructed and are in use. The project aims to construct ghats along the Kali Gandaki riverbank, including Damuwakhola, Lasti, Khaniyaghat, Milanchowk, and Waribeni.