The dead will have to wait

Residents of Lahore should no longer consider the option of dying and getting buried in their city since the city’s graveyards are terribly overcrowded with no extra spaces for new dead entrants.
Of around 300 existing graveyards, the largest Miani Sahib Graveyard, developed in the Mughal era, occupies around 1,206 kanals and is now out of space for new graves.
Proportionally scant cemeteries (last resting place) are located in 115 union councils to cater to the burial needs of approximately 10,000,000 residents of the city. People of all 9 towns have desperately been demanding almost 15 large graveyards in each union council keeping in view the future needs. However, Lahore Commissioner Jawad Rafique Malik on April 17 (yesterday) ordered to set up only 10 new graveyards for the entire populations which seem to be a drop in the ocean. New graveyards will be set up near Shahdara on 163 kanals, Ganj Kalan (168 kanals), Mauza Bhamma (132 kanals), Shalimar Mauza Mari (750 kanals), Mauza Barki (144 kanals), Model Town (242 kanals) and Chuhng (1,049 kanals).
“These graveyards come as good news for the citizens, however, the addition is not in proportion to the increase in population,” said Bilal Shah, a resident of Shalimar Town.
A City District Government Limited official, asking not to be named, said with the view to improve the pathetic situation, Lahore division administration imposed a ban on setting up graveyards along the River Ravi on April 9. He revealed that CDGL also issued standing orders to developers of all housing schemes not to issue Non-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to those developers who do not leave ample space for graveyards in their housing schemes to avoid any inconvenience to residents
Meanwhile, on February 3, CDGL also banned booking of sites for graves on the complaints influential persons were booking favourite spots and were creating trouble for the citizens. Lahore’s annual mortality rate is around 8.45 people per 1,000, indicating that city, with a population of 9.5 million, needs around 300 kanals of land for burials every year.
Masti Khan, a gravedigger, told Pakistan Today that in a graveyard a kachi (mud) grave occupied 21 square feet of land while a pakki (marbled) grave occupied 25 square feet of land. Considering the city’s population and the mortality rate, 290 kanals of land were needed to bury 63,375 people dying in Lahore every year, whereas 10 kanals were needed for passages and other facilities at graveyards.
If CDGL were to plan graveyards for the next 5 years, they will have to acquire or spare 3,000 kanals of land divided in four 750-kanal parts. The second option is a single graveyard twice as large as the city’s largest Miani Sahib Graveyard that occupies 1,206 kanals of land. “The proposed graveyards should be developed on all four sides of the city because no space is available in more than 90 percent of the city’s graveyards,” CDGL official said.
A survey found that several graveyards had no boundary walls, access paths and lights and many of them were encroached by land grabbers and criminals. CDGL official Nadeem Babar said that Town’s urban UCs needed new graveyards. Opposing the idea to develop large graveyards outside the city, he said that not everybody could take their dead outside the city. He said town had enough government land where graveyards could be developed.
Samanabad Town official Tanveer Ali said only the Johar Town Graveyard had space available for graves, while other major graveyards including Miani Sahib, Ichhra, Shahjamal, Muslim Town, Wahdat Colony, Karim Block, Allama Iqbal Town, Gulshan-e-Ravi and Sherakot were short of land. He said UC graveyards were also short of land and gravediggers were digging new graves on unattended graves.
Nishtar Town official said that were 122 graveyards in 19 UCs of his town, while three UCs were without graveyards. He said 36 graveyards were already out of space and most of others would be full within months. He added that problem was the result of a lack of town planning.
Data Ganj Baksh Town official said there was no space available at any of the graveyards in his town including Masoomia Graveyard near Mian Munshi Hospital, Goshala Graveyard in Sandha and graveyards in Kasoorpura and Shadman.
Aziz Bhatti Town, Mian Mir, Darbar Ali Muhammad Park in Tajpura, Razzaq Colony near Railway line, Tajbagh, Bukhar Shah and Al-Faisal Town were full. Gulberg Town official seeking anonymity said there were 37 graveyards in 15 UCs of his town, but only Alhamra graveyard at Main Market-II had little space for graves. A senior staffer in Shalimar Town said Meera Hussain, Shah Abdul Ghani, Madhoo Lall Hussain, Aleeya Town, Panj Peer, Shahnawaz Park in Kot Khawaja Saeed and Kotli Peer Abdur Rehman were major graveyards in the town and most of them including small graveyards were short of land.
Regarding Ravi Town, CDGL official said that only the Begum Kot Graveyard in his town had space for graves.
Iqbal Town official said his town had no large graveyards and people buried their dead in other towns’ graveyards. He said people demanded graveyards in their municipalities, adding that Raiwind, Awan Town, Sabzazar, Iqbal Town and Sattoo Katla graveyards were overcrowded and poorly maintained.