The Puri district administration has decided to bar the entry of people from other districts in the Swargadwar cremation ground in the town for an indefinite period from Wednesday in view of the rise in coronavirus cases.

Puri collector Balwant Singh told The Telegraph, “We have imposed restrictions on people coming from places outside the district who wish to cremate their dead at Swargadwar. The ban will be effective from Wednesday owing to the situation arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Located along the beach in Puri, around 70km from here, Swargadwar, which means the gateway to heaven, is the busiest cremation ground in the state. It is often compared to Varanasi’s Manikarnika Ghat where bodies burn round the clock. The devout believe that people cremated at Swargadwar ascend to the heavens with ease as all their sins are reduced to ashes on the pyre. Nearly 80 to 90 bodies were cremated at Swargadwar before the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of the virus. Even after the imposition of restrictions, people from all parts of the state and even outside came to cremate bodies.

Asked whether the decision could hurt religious sentiments, Singh said, “I admit the decision is tough. But our first and foremost concern is saving lives. Nearly 800 bodies were cremated at Swargadwar in June. Out of them, 100 bodies cremated at Swargadwar were brought from Ganjam district, which has reported the highest number of coronavirus cases (in the state). Another 200 bodies were brought from Khurda and around the same from Cuttack district. The rest had come from other parts of the state for cremation. Nearly 10 to 20 people accompany a body for the cremation rituals. We are hundred per cent sure if we allow the cremation of bodies brought from other places, including hotspot areas, at Swargadwar, many more people will be infected.”

“Nearly 60 to 70 people work at the cremation ground. We have to ensure their safety. I discussed the issue with the locals and then decided to close it (cremation ground) down to those from other districts. People can keep the ashes of their dead in urns and visit Puri to immerse them in the sea when the situation improves.”

“This is a frontal assault on religious sentiments. Many want to be cremated at Swargadwar. This order needs to be challenged as a violation of the fundamental right to religion. An illegal order has been passed by the district magistrate in the name of Covid-19 rules,” alleged social activist and environmentalist Biswajit Mohanty.

“Even if one does not get the opportunity to breathe his last in Puri, one nurtures a desire to be cremated there. Such rights should not be taken away. No one understands the sentiments of the people. I am not scared of corona, but after death, I want my body to be cremated at Swargadwar,” said Anita Mohanty, a retired schoolteacher.

Former bank official Bana Bihari Dash said, “Hope the Puri administration stands by its order and does not bend rules for VIPs. However, instead of putting a complete ban on outsiders, the administration should have come out with proper guidelines on how to cremate bodies by following the Covid-19 norms. Closing down a facility is not the solution.”

The importance of Swargadwar for Odias can be understood from the fact that former chief ministers like Biju Patnaik and J.B. Patnaik were cremated there. With the place becoming increasingly crowded, the Puri administration decided to modernise Swargadwar earlier this year. For this purpose, chief minister Naveen Patnaik had agreed to the district administration’s proposal to remove his father Biju Patnaik’s samadhi (monument) from the cremation ground. However, the modernisation work has been affected by the pandemic.