One-window facility to be introduced at KMC graveyards

Administrator Laeeq Ahmed on Monday announced that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) will introduce a one-window facility at every graveyard under the control of the municipal body.

Ahmed lamented the condition of the KMC’s cemeteries, saying that they are being controlled by graveyard mafias, who have been ruling the city’s cemeteries. He ordered the KMC’s officials to make the burial process at these graveyards simpler by introducing a one-window facility.

The graveyards’ managing committees — which include welfare organisations such as the Saylani Welfare Trust (SWT), the Jafaria Disaster Management Cell (JDC) Welfare Organisation, the Edhi Foundation and the Chhipa Welfare Association (CWA) — will work for providing better facilities at the KMC’s cemeteries.

“The committees will manage the graveyards’ affairs along with the KMC,” said the city administrator, who was presiding over a meeting with the relevant officials and welfare organisations’ representatives to review the affairs of the municipal body’s cemeteries.

A press statement issued by the KMC said that SWT President Yousuf Lakhani, JDC General Secretary Zafar Abbas, representatives of the Edhi Foundation and the CWA, and KMC officials attended the meeting.

Ahmed said that people should be able to get a grave on the government’s fixed rates, stressing that overcharging should stop immediately. He said that the KMC wants the welfare organisations’ support for fixing the issues concerning the municipal body’s cemeteries.

“If any of the welfare organisations wants to take administrative control of one of the graveyards, the KMC will cooperate with them,” he assured the meeting. He said that their topmost priority is to provide all the facilities possible to the people who need to bury their loved ones.

The JDC’s Abbas said that the condition of cemeteries across the city has been worsening every day, pointing out that graves are being sold between Rs10,000 and Rs250,000. He also pointed out that graves are removed and replaced by new ones if family members don’t show up at the cemetery often. He offered that the JDC can establish a graveyard on the pattern of the Wadi-e-Hussain cemetery if the KMC provides them with land.

The SWT’s Lakhani said that the condition of community graveyards is much better but they are also running out of space now. He stressed the dire need to set up new cemeteries in the city.

The Edhi Foundation’s representative also pointed out that the Mawach Goth graveyard, where dead bodies of the people who have no heirs are buried, has also run out of space. Administrator Ahmed lauded the efforts of the welfare organisations, and said that with their cooperation they can address the issues being faced by the graveyards across the city.

He assured everyone that keeping in view the increasing population, new cemeteries will be established across the city. He said that all the departments concerned will be taken on board for setting up new graveyards in different localities according to their requirements.