Staff Reporter :
A portion of land of the Uttara graveyard at sector 4 which, now faces legal complication will be used for burial purpose very soon, said Md Mesbahul Islam, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dhaka North City Corporation on Tuesday.
Talking to The New Nation he said the DNCC has taken steps to settle the long-standing issue so that the remaining land of the Uttara graveyard under sector 4 can be used for burial purpose.
“We have discussed issue with Mr. Abdul Alim Mollik recently and requested him to withdraw his prayer for the stay order. And he (Mollik) has already been convinced and assured us of withdrawing his stay order prayers immediately,” DNCC CEO said.
When asked if Abdul Alim Mollik would not withdraw the stay order, the DNCC CEO said that he gave the word to the DNCC that he (Mollik) is going to withdraw the stay order as soon as possible. “We are waiting for his word. In case if Mollik would not withdraw the stay order, we will then move for legal procedures as early as possible,” Mesbahul Islam said. To cope with the growing pressure, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) about a decade ago had handed over 23 kathas land to then undivided DNCC in the north site of the Uttara graveyard under sector 4 but this space remain unused due to the land litigation. In the wake of locals’ demand and newspapers report, DNCC Mayor Annisul Huq, CEO MD Mesbahul Islam, Chief Engineer Brig Gen Md. Syeed Anwarul Islam, concerned officials and Afsaruddin Khan, councillor of Ward No-1 held a meeting recently and discussed the issue. A vested quarter is still on a ploy to grab the remaining land of the Uttara graveyard by constructing more establishments there in the future, according to locals.
The residents of the sector have urged the DNCC Mayor as well as the authority concerned to take steps to settle this long-standing issue so that the remaining land of the graveyard can be used for burial purpose. According to the DNCC statistics, the capacity of Uttara graveyard at sector-4 is 600 graves while sector 12 is 1,200.
But these burial grounds cannot meet the rising demand for burial plots in the area. Residents of Uttara sector alleged that some local influential people remain always active to grab the land and they have already taken various moves in this regard.
They are telling other residents of the sector that a new mosque and a madrasa would be established there on the north side of the graveyard. Talking to this reporter, some residents in the area said that a section of house owners in the northeast side of the graveyard do not get tenants to let their flats as the graveyard is just situated in front of their balconies. Local alleged that these people along with the incumbent Councillor Mohammad Afsaruddin Khan are advocating for establishing a new mosque and a madrasa there.
But the local people do not have any need to establish another mosque or madrassa as they have already a big mosque with sufficient accommodation facilities. They said they need sufficient space for their graveyard. Some employees of the graveyard preferring not to be named said that they are worried as the graveyard’s land is being grabbed in many ways.
“We don’t have any option. Some local people don’t want to see the existence of the graveyard here. As a result, the graveyard is running out of space.” On an average 100-150 bodies are buried in the graveyard in a year. The densely populated area has hardly any place for eternal rest for its dwellers in the near future, they added. The charge for a general grave (two years) is Tk 500 only, for 10 years Tk 5 lakh, for 15 years Tk 8 lakh, for 20 years Tk 12 lakh for 25 years Tk 15 lakh at Uttara graveyard. Recently, the graveyard authority allows three options-general, 15 years and 25 years.
The City Corporation is not selling any space as the government in January, 2009 had declared rules and regulations that no one will be able to buy permanent space in any graveyard under its jurisdiction.
According to DNCC official, every two years the soil of the graveyard is sifted. The bones retrieved are buried in a specific place and the soil is replaced. This gives space for new graves. As per the Islamic rules, burial space should not be bought permanently. Moreover, the space in Dhaka is decreasing day by day. So, it will be difficult for us to accommodate more bodies in future, he added.
Besides, Ahsania Mission, a non-government organisation, occupying some portions of the northeast area of the graveyard, is running a clinic named Nagar Shastho Kendra. Locals have raised question why Ahsania Mission was allocated land inside the graveyard to establish this clinic (Nagar Shastho Kendra) as it has reduced the space of the graveyard. In the past it was a family graveyard of late two brothers Mohammad Aminuddin and Mofizuddin. Later, RAJUK acquired 43 kathas of land and handed it over the undivided DCC for graveyard to meet growing demand for burial plots in the residents of city’s Uttara area, according to graveyard authority sources.
They added RAJUK also handed some 23 kathas of land to the DCC for expansion of the graveyard almost a decade ago.
Originally, RAJUK had a plan to construct a mosque and a madrassa on that 23 katha of land. But as a big mosque with a sufficient land is situated just 500 yard off the graveyard at Road No. 6 under sector 4 in the area, RAJUK later handed it over to DCC for expansion of the graveyard. The Uttara graveyard was established on July 10 in 1995 on 66 kathas of land. Hazi Mohammad Abdul Alim Mollik, a residence of House No. 39, Road No. 10 under Sector 4, filed a writ petition against the expansion of graveyard during the army-backed emergency government in 2007.
Since then, the open space of the north side of the graveyard has remained unused. The then ward councillor late Hafizul Islam along with local people on several occasions had tried to convince some residents whose houses are adjacent to the northeast and northwest side of the graveyard to withdraw the writ petition and not to oppose the expansion the last resting place. “But all his efforts went in vain,” a local said. Talking to The New Nation a leader of Uttara Jano Kallan Sangstha Sector 4, said that they are hopeful to get back the remaining space of the graveyard.
“We are now very much hopeful as Mr. Abdul Alim Mollik will withdraw the stay order as he has already been convinced,”” he said.
