State of burial grounds grave, BBMP to give facelift

The civic body has identified a few burial grounds that are deprived of basic amenities like toilets, drinking water, lights, seats, pathways and even fencing.

Lack of proper fencing has led to encroachment, said M K Gunashekar, former chairman of the standing committee on taxation and finance, who was also the first to moot the project.

All this will be set right with the Rs 50 crore sanctioned during the financial year 2017-18 in the BBMP budget. The work has already begun on the ones near Tannery Road and civil work has begun in the SK Garden ward.

He also said that the BBMP has appointed a consultant to conduct a survey and identify the needs for each burial ground and then develop it accordingly. "The consultant has prepared an estimate of the required costs for each burial ground and the work will be taken up accordingly," he said.

He also said that 50 grounds are taken up for upgradation in the first phase. "There are about 200 burial grounds in the city and the work will be carried out in phases," Gunashekar said.

The BBMP will also open a new electric crematorium near Chamarajpet and another one near Banashankari. According to Gunashekar, "It is one of the duties of the civic body to take up work of burial grounds, and we are doing this for the first time.”

M Mahadev, chairman of the standing committee on taxation and finance, BBMP, said the work is being expedited to be completed at the earliest.

Dignity in death Allocated budget: Rs 50 crore No of burial grounds in first phase: 50 No of burial grounds in the city: 200 (approx)