<p>Not long ago, the Nawabs indulged in building tombstones in memory of their ancestors and reserved spaces for the future generations to be laid to rest after death.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The practice seems a far-fetched luxury after 50 years, with space for burial coming dearer, thanks to the numerous IT companies and apartment complexes mushrooming in the city’s heart, said Mallaiah Yadav, a businessman dealing in real estate.<br /><br />A 15 sq feet space in a Muslim graveyard costs anything between Rs 18,000 and Rs 1 lakh as against the Rs 3,000 spent for a Hindu cremation. For a Christian burial, the expenses ranges from Rs 22,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh.<br /> <br />“The price is double if you want to bury the deceased beside the family murshid's (spiritual guide) grave,” said Syed Jahaeeruddin, a moulvi of Shaikpet dargah. Figures furnished by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) suggests Hyderabad had 335 Hindu crematoriums, apart from 120 Muslim graveyards and 51 Christian graveyards, spread across 840 acres of land.<br /><br />However, 115 acres have already been encroached, a revenue official said. Consequently, cost of burial in most these graveyards maintained by a dargah trust or the mutawalis (hereditary grave-keepers) have increaded manifolds.<br /><br />The graveyard adjacent to the Yousufain dargah, spread over 30,000 square yards in Nampally, charges between Rs 30,000 and Rs 80,000 for a 15 sq feet burial space. “We have a record number of nearly 3.2 lakh burials since 1920. The bodies are said to be buried in six layers,” said Shaikh Faheem Sabri, a caretaker of the grave yard.<br /><br />According to officials, an acute space constraint drove them to reuse the space. H A Shafi, an official of the Yousufain Dargah Trust, said: “Finding an unused grave space is difficult. We encourage burial in graves not visited by anybody for sometime.” <br /><br />Qari Naseeruddin from Asifnagar said the poor have no choice but to pool in funds for funeral expense. "The mutawalis charge an additional Rs 5,000,” he said. The Qutbiguda graveyard and the Dargah Syed Nayeemuddin Nemathullah Shah (DSNNS) in Golconda actively helps the poor by charging a nominal Rs 600 for the poor. The destitutes are not charged at all.<br /><br />“Since the grave yards are on wakf properties, they should give it free,” said Md Afzal, president of DSNNS graveyard committee. To tackle the issue, the state government has proposed to set up a common grave yard on the outskirts of the city, spread across around 2,000 acres. <br /><br />The Rs 250 crore project have already been assured of funds by several agencies. The graveyards will follow the American and Singapore models.</p>
<p>Not long ago, the Nawabs indulged in building tombstones in memory of their ancestors and reserved spaces for the future generations to be laid to rest after death.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The practice seems a far-fetched luxury after 50 years, with space for burial coming dearer, thanks to the numerous IT companies and apartment complexes mushrooming in the city’s heart, said Mallaiah Yadav, a businessman dealing in real estate.<br /><br />A 15 sq feet space in a Muslim graveyard costs anything between Rs 18,000 and Rs 1 lakh as against the Rs 3,000 spent for a Hindu cremation. For a Christian burial, the expenses ranges from Rs 22,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh.<br /> <br />“The price is double if you want to bury the deceased beside the family murshid's (spiritual guide) grave,” said Syed Jahaeeruddin, a moulvi of Shaikpet dargah. Figures furnished by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) suggests Hyderabad had 335 Hindu crematoriums, apart from 120 Muslim graveyards and 51 Christian graveyards, spread across 840 acres of land.<br /><br />However, 115 acres have already been encroached, a revenue official said. Consequently, cost of burial in most these graveyards maintained by a dargah trust or the mutawalis (hereditary grave-keepers) have increaded manifolds.<br /><br />The graveyard adjacent to the Yousufain dargah, spread over 30,000 square yards in Nampally, charges between Rs 30,000 and Rs 80,000 for a 15 sq feet burial space. “We have a record number of nearly 3.2 lakh burials since 1920. The bodies are said to be buried in six layers,” said Shaikh Faheem Sabri, a caretaker of the grave yard.<br /><br />According to officials, an acute space constraint drove them to reuse the space. H A Shafi, an official of the Yousufain Dargah Trust, said: “Finding an unused grave space is difficult. We encourage burial in graves not visited by anybody for sometime.” <br /><br />Qari Naseeruddin from Asifnagar said the poor have no choice but to pool in funds for funeral expense. "The mutawalis charge an additional Rs 5,000,” he said. The Qutbiguda graveyard and the Dargah Syed Nayeemuddin Nemathullah Shah (DSNNS) in Golconda actively helps the poor by charging a nominal Rs 600 for the poor. The destitutes are not charged at all.<br /><br />“Since the grave yards are on wakf properties, they should give it free,” said Md Afzal, president of DSNNS graveyard committee. To tackle the issue, the state government has proposed to set up a common grave yard on the outskirts of the city, spread across around 2,000 acres. <br /><br />The Rs 250 crore project have already been assured of funds by several agencies. The graveyards will follow the American and Singapore models.</p>
