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In Goa, Christians, Hindus and Muslims may soon be buried, cremated at common grounds

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A South Goa civic body has already completed construction of the first such ground for all religions; idea suits Goa’s cosmopolitan character, says minister.

Panaji: The Goa government is pushing municipal bodies to build common burial and cremation grounds where people from across religions can be laid to rest next to each other, a first in India.

The municipal council of Ponda, a town in South Goa, last month completed the construction of the first such common burial ground, officials said.

Next on the cards is a ground near Mapusa, a town in North Goa’s Bardez taluka, for which the state urban development department has recently identified a 20,000-sq m plot that will cost the government Rs 8 crore.

‘It’s in line with Goa’s cosmopolitan character’

According to the 2011 Census, of Goa’s 14.58 lakh population, about 66 per cent are Hindus, 25 per cent Christians, about 8 per cent Muslims, besides Buddhists and Jains who are in a few thousands.

“Goa is a very cosmopolitan state, so it is a first-of-its-kind initiative to satisfy all communities. We will have slots for different religions in the same burial ground,” Francis D’Souza, Goa’s urban development minister, told ThePrint.

D’Souza, who has been an MLA from Mapusa for nearly 20 years, said the common burial grounds will especially help cater to those who do not identify with any particular religion, or those whose religion is not known.

“In my political career, I have seen a number of people come to me and complain that particular religious communities are not allowing them to bury their dead,” the BJP legislator said.

“Most churches and crematoria refuse to accommodate people from outside their community. Then there are various sects and castes among Christians, Hindus and Muslims. A common burial ground will help in addressing this problem,” he added.

According to D’Souza, it is the responsibility of all municipal bodies to cater to their citizens after their death by providing adequate and equal access to burial places, and the government has instructed all civic bodies to work towards having such common burial grounds.

The Goa Human Rights Commission has also been pushing for the state’s local bodies to provide burial and cremation grounds for people across all faiths and sects.

The first common burial ground

Goa’s first common burial ground, which the Ponda Municipal Council has constructed within the campus of a Hindu crematorium, has the capacity to accommodate 42 bodies.

Navnath Naik, chief officer of the municipal council, said, “We are not reserving any slots for any communities here. Anyone from within Ponda can use the common burial ground facilities.”

“All civic bodies are now working on making similar arrangements,” Naik added.

He, however, expressed doubts over the use of such a common burial ground by long-time members of Goa’s different communities.

“Normally, all communities have their own facilities for burial and cremation and people within those communities are likely to continue to opt for them as per what has been the tradition,” Naik said. Common burial grounds will be more useful for people who don’t have this option, he added.

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