Mortal remains of a person would no longer be cremated in open and unfenced cemeteries in Jharkhand as the State Government has decided to fence and equip all cemeteries and crematoriums in the State before the end of the current financial year. The department has begun efforts to give facelift to cemeteries from the department’s funds.
The department of Social Welfare has asked all Members of legislative Assembly of Jharkhand to provide details of cemeteries in their respective constituencies to felicitate the process of equipping such places with better facilities for the last rites of people.
“We have also asked MlAs to provide proposals which we can implement otherwise we will work on our proposals for such places which are in our knowledge. The work will be accomplished with whatever funds we can draw from the budgetary provisions earmarked for the department for the current financial year,” said Welfare Minister, louis Marandi.
Interestingly, as the lack of awareness among public about budgetary provisions for furnishing and fencing of cemetery from government funds remains one of the dimensions to the poor conditions of thousands of cemeteries in Jharkhand, the Minister candidly admitted that she too was unaware of the provision until she assumed office. Although the provision failed to come out of the putrid files stacked in the damp corridors of the department since it would have made its responsibility, a change of mindset is likely pent up beautification work on a mission mode.
“People until now knew that only graveyards are fenced however cemeteries are also eligible for beautification work. Even I had not heard of this but when I took charge of the department I came to know that beautification work can be done with department funds. Now I am informing people and telling them to submit proposals,” added Marandi.
Nonetheless, the renewed attempt to deck up all cemeteries is still in preliminary stage and restricted mostly to solicit proposals and earmark funds to execute the plans.