Salcete told to tackle kabrastan crisis as Margao overburdened

Margao: The existing kabrastan (burial ground) at Pajifond in Margao serves the needs of the Muslim community for villages across Salcete taluka, creating an unsustainable burden on a single facility meant to serve only Margao town. This anomaly has now prompted the directorate of panchayats to issue an urgent directive to the Salcete block development officer (BDO), following persistent pleas from the community.

In a recent memorandum, the director of panchayats instructed the Salcete BDO to direct all village panchayat secretaries of Salcete to discuss the kabrastan issue in their fortnightly meetings and submit detailed reports within 15 days. The panchayat secretaries have also been directed to “take appropriate action” in the matter.

Abdulmatin Daud Carol, who is representing the Muslim community in the kabrastan issue, in his complaint filed with the directorate of panchayats, pointed out that the Pajifond kabrastan regularly receives bodies from villages including Rumdamol, Davorlim, Sao Jose de Areal, Nessai, Chandor, Curtorim, Navelim, Sirlim, Telaulim, Sarzora, Seralim, and Betalbatim. “This arrangement”, Carol said, “has placed an undue burden on the single facility while also creating hardships for families from distant villages who have to transport their deceased to Margao for burial.”

“Once and when the burial grounds are set up in every village panchayat’s jurisdiction, it will solve the problem of the Muslim community of Margao,” Carol said. “There are 30 or more burials every month at the Pajifond kabrastan, and most of them are of those from beyond Margao.”

Carol said directives have been issued by the Human Rights Commission and the state chief secretary to village panchayats “right from 2016 onwards, yet many panchayats have failed to establish burial facilities within their jurisdictions.”