Space for burial in Muslim graveyards in the Capital is running out; in fact, there could be no space left in a year, according to the Delhi Minorities Commission (DMC).
The DMC’s annual report, which was released by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday, said that a study had been carried out last year but had not been released by the previous DMC.
A year left
Releasing the findings through the annual report, the DMC said an average of 13,000 Muslim funerals were held in a year; and as of 2017, there were only 29,370 burial spaces left.
“This means that at the present pace, there will be no space left after one year from now unless some remedial strategies are adopted,” the DMC report said.
Of the 704 Muslim graveyards in Delhi, only 131 were functional, the report said.
Few developed
“Very few graveyards were developed in the recent past despite the growing need due to the increase in population as a result of natural growth and immigration from other parts of the country,” the report added.
The findings of the study were submitted to the Delhi government, its various departments and agencies in order to prepare a solution to the issue. The study said that temporary graves where re-burial can happen after a few years should be set up, apart from establishment of new graveyards.