GHMC intends to resurrect 36 graveyards in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is set to provide basic amenities in graveyards, including washrooms, toilets, seating arrangements and greenery. The GHMC has 18 circles in its limits and it is proposed to have two graveyards for development, totalling to 36 graveyards. The GHMC Commissioner, Somesh Kumar, recently visited Punjagutta graveyard, near Nagarjuna circle, which will be the first to get the facilities.

“With a 100 days’ time frame, the development and enhancement of the grave yards will be taken up in a phased manner. The identification and the list of those graveyards will be completed in few days,” said a GHMC official. The immediate repairs at electrical crematorium are also planned.

This is being done keeping in mind the health of the people, said the Commissioner. The Commissioner, GHMC, held a review meeting with senior officials of the GHMC along with the consultants who are dealing with modernization of lakes and beautification of parks.

The Commissioner directed the officials to concentrate more on beautification of graveyards of all the religions in their jurisdiction by duly converting them in to beautiful parks, modernizing them with latest basic facilities and modern infrastructure, for the convenience of the citizens.

“Graveyards of all three religion-Hindu, Christian and Muslim will be developed. A total of 36 graveyards, two in each circle, will be taken up for the development. However, the number of graveyards for development for the three religions might vary depending up on the area,” said Mr Somesh Kumar.

The Commissioner, while interacting with the consultants in the review meeting, said that the consultant must be very keen while preparing the designs, keeping in view of the convenience of the citizens and aesthetic look to have a pleasant environment.

The TDP floor leader in GHMC, Singireddy Srinivas Reddy said, “Many graveyards are not enclosed with compound walls, which is paving the way for illegal encroachments of the most valuable lands,” he said, adding that several cases of encroachments on graveyards were pending in the courts. “Almost none of the graveyards have basic amenities and minimum necessities, including store rooms, public toilets, bathrooms, water, street lighting, pavements, inadequate burning platforms, sitting platforms and parking place.”