Hindu Aikya Vedi to move Kerala High Court over cemetery

Thrissur: The Hindu Aikya Vedi and the local residents have decided to move the High Court over  a complaint regarding  the cemetery of St Sebastian Catholic Church at Vaga near Elavally here. Earlier, the Aikya Vedi along with local residents had objected the first burial at the cemetery on Monday and a large posse of police led by Guruvayur ACP had arrested 12 protestors. The funeral was conducted with police protection and the arrested were soon released on station bail.

Aikya Vedi leader Prasad Kandannissery who heads the agitation said on Tuesday that the permission for the cemetery was obtained in 1968 and the Collector A Kowsigan had given the nod for using the cemetery as per the direction of HC. "But, before the funeral none of the officials consulted the residents and inspected the cemetery where the concrete was laid a day before the funeral. We want the Pollution Control Board to conduct a study before giving approval to it and we will move the HC with that demand," he said.

On the other hand, parish priest Sajan Vadakkan told DC that all norms as per the Panchayt Raj Act had been met in setting up the cemetery for the parish which was set up few years ago. "We had been using the cemetery of the of Mattam Church till now and had got the nod from the Collector to use the new cemetery at Vaga," he added.    The mandatory distance of cemetery from residential area as per the Act is 50 metres and at Vaga it is 200 to 300 metres, the priest said.