Curti panchayat finds unknown graves, locks site for last rites

PONDA: After finding a disparity in the number of burials conducted in their inter-faith crematorium and burial ground complex against the actual records maintained by them, the Curti-Khandepar panchayat has placed a gate at the entrance to man the use of the site.
Spread over the 17,000 sqm of land near Deep Nagar Curti, an outskirt of Ponda town, the complex has a crematorium for Hindus and burial ground for Catholics, Muslims and other communities who wish to conduct final rites.
Since the crematorium has no shed for cremation of Hindu bodies, such final rites are conducted at Ponda ‘Muktidham’ crematorium, while Catholics have their own cemetery at Ponda. The Curti complex is being mostly used by migrants to bury their dead.
“When we visited the complex, we found over 300 graves there, but the panchayat has records of hardly 65 rites. The complex is being used for the past 15 years and it is difficult to calculate how many bodies have been buried in the graveyard over the period,” said sarpanch Gurudas Khedekar.
He said such uncontrolled use of the site has also created a loss to panchayat revenue and hence they have displayed the panchayat secretary’s mobile number so that people can contact him to obtain a receipt after making necessary payments to the panchayat to perform final rites.
The panchayat has erected a compound wall and gate around the complex. The gate has been locked and the civic body is mulling to appoint a person at the complex to man the site, the sarpanch added.
He said that they had even found that people living in the vicinity have been using the road leading to the complex to park their vehicles. Such attempts will be discontinued henceforth, Khedekar said.
The complex lacks certain basic facilities such as a shed with seating arrangements for those attending the final rites, and water connection. The panchayat would try to put these in place soon, he said.