For the Christian community in Thane, a burial ground has become a key issue this election season. And interestingly, the two main candidates — sitting MP Rajan Vichare of the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party’s Anand Paranjpe — have assured the community members to look into the matter.
“We will have to wait and see if their promise is real,” Kasber Augustine, chairman of the Thane unit of Bombay Catholic Sabha, said. He said the Christian population has grown over the years, but the space to bury the dead has remained the same. Thane district has over five lakh Christians, and at least 10 cemeteries are needed, he said. Due to the shortage of space, the bodies have been buried one over the other. Many have opted not to use a coffin as it requires more space and time for decomposition.
“The Thane Municipal Corporation has not paid heed to our demands over the past several years. The situation at present is a desperate one,” he said, adding that good candidates will work towards a smart city and also think about what is bothering the constituents.
Thomas Sequeira (47), who has lived in Thane all his life, said mourning families should not have to travel long distances for burials. “The corporation should allot multiple spaces for burial,” he said.
The desperation for a burial space stirred up trouble recently, when some community members buried a 95-year-old man in an open space not marked as a cemetery. This led to their arrests, and protests from others who objected to the plot being used as a cemetery.
