Squeezing space in the existing graveyards has pushed the government to look for land on the edge of the city in Kahna and Thay Panju
Febraury 15, 2009
By Sajid Bashir:
In a city where living is becoming expensive by the day, death has become even more costly.
In a city where about 70 percent people live in rented houses, it is a compulsion to buy land for their eternal resting place. A grave costs between Rs10,000 and Rs15,000 at present which is beyond the reach of the impoverished majority.
With the city graveyards cramped with no further space, it becomes difficult to arrange for a grave once someone dies.
There are over 350 big and small graveyards in the provincial metropolis out of which Miani Sahib is the biggest as well as the oldest. Most of the existing graveyards are suffering from disrepair and are in a state of dilapidation.
The biggest graveyard of the city Miani Sahab, located on Bahawalpur Road, ran out of space sometime back leaving the citizens puzzled over the funeral arrangements of their loved ones.
Miani Sahib has been divided into seven blocks. Each block is named after some famous writer, scholar or sufi. The graveyard stretched over 175 acres in the last century but now only a 100 acre is left. The rest is consumed by different communities and Qabza groups.
The graveyard mafia has encroached upon a large portion of land in the graveyards and has constructed boundary walls around them, covering large portions of the cemeteries.
The land grabbers have also made shops, houses and other edifices on caved-in graves, outside the boundary walls and even inside. Even drug addicts have been found stealing the shrouds and sheet of cloth to make money in the dark. And the local authorities responsible for the maintenance of graveyards have miserably failed to maintain their sanctity.
A case regarding encroachments in the premises of Miani Sahab graveyard is also pending before the Lahore High Court for the last two years.
The issue of shortage of land cropped up some four years back, since then the City District Government is 'searching' for a suitable replacement of Miani Sahib graveyard. The new project was named as Miani II.
The authorities have only made acquisition of land for graveyard an issue of Progress Review Meeting for the past many months.
Grave diggers are also taking full advantage of the situation and extract handsome amount from the relatives of the dead for providing a piece of land. The grave diggers, who virtually rule the graveyards, reportedly go to the extent of making fake graves.
Besides, as per the rules of the CDGL, all the housing societies being constructed in private and public sector are bound to reserve two per cent of the total land for graveyards but this rule has not been followed by most of them.
The City District Government Lahore is going to start a new project of second phase of Miani Sahab graveyard to overcome the problem of space.
The CDGL is working on this project for the last two years but could not find a specific big place for new graveyard. Now two pieces of land have been proposed for Miani Sahab graveyard phase II which is about 1800 kanals, The News on Sunday learnt from DDO Cantt (Revenue) Syeda Kalsoom who said the land would be purchased soon. She said the said lands, situated in two adjacent villages namely Kahna and Thay Panju have been finalised and the department is waiting for release of funds. DDO Cantt said that all the documentation has almost been completed and the construction of new graveyard phase II would start just after the department gets payment of Rs. 250 million from the CDGL.
In a city where about 70 percent people live in rented houses, it is a compulsion to buy land for their eternal resting place. A grave costs between Rs10,000 and Rs15,000 at present which is beyond the reach of the impoverished majority.
With the city graveyards cramped with no further space, it becomes difficult to arrange for a grave once someone dies.
There are over 350 big and small graveyards in the provincial metropolis out of which Miani Sahib is the biggest as well as the oldest. Most of the existing graveyards are suffering from disrepair and are in a state of dilapidation.
The biggest graveyard of the city Miani Sahab, located on Bahawalpur Road, ran out of space sometime back leaving the citizens puzzled over the funeral arrangements of their loved ones.
Miani Sahib has been divided into seven blocks. Each block is named after some famous writer, scholar or sufi. The graveyard stretched over 175 acres in the last century but now only a 100 acre is left. The rest is consumed by different communities and Qabza groups.
The graveyard mafia has encroached upon a large portion of land in the graveyards and has constructed boundary walls around them, covering large portions of the cemeteries.
The land grabbers have also made shops, houses and other edifices on caved-in graves, outside the boundary walls and even inside. Even drug addicts have been found stealing the shrouds and sheet of cloth to make money in the dark. And the local authorities responsible for the maintenance of graveyards have miserably failed to maintain their sanctity.
A case regarding encroachments in the premises of Miani Sahab graveyard is also pending before the Lahore High Court for the last two years.
The issue of shortage of land cropped up some four years back, since then the City District Government is 'searching' for a suitable replacement of Miani Sahib graveyard. The new project was named as Miani II.
The authorities have only made acquisition of land for graveyard an issue of Progress Review Meeting for the past many months.
Grave diggers are also taking full advantage of the situation and extract handsome amount from the relatives of the dead for providing a piece of land. The grave diggers, who virtually rule the graveyards, reportedly go to the extent of making fake graves.
Besides, as per the rules of the CDGL, all the housing societies being constructed in private and public sector are bound to reserve two per cent of the total land for graveyards but this rule has not been followed by most of them.
The City District Government Lahore is going to start a new project of second phase of Miani Sahab graveyard to overcome the problem of space.
The CDGL is working on this project for the last two years but could not find a specific big place for new graveyard. Now two pieces of land have been proposed for Miani Sahab graveyard phase II which is about 1800 kanals, The News on Sunday learnt from DDO Cantt (Revenue) Syeda Kalsoom who said the land would be purchased soon. She said the said lands, situated in two adjacent villages namely Kahna and Thay Panju have been finalised and the department is waiting for release of funds. DDO Cantt said that all the documentation has almost been completed and the construction of new graveyard phase II would start just after the department gets payment of Rs. 250 million from the CDGL.
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