The government on Wednesday told the High Court of Karnataka that 6,053 villages and 272 towns in the State required burial grounds, and that it has been making budgetary allocations every year for purchase of private lands in villages and towns where no government land is available.
A statement was filed before a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice S. Sujatha during the hearing of a PIL petition, filed by Mohamed Ikbal, a resident of Bengaluru, complaining about lack of burial grounds.
The government also stated that the data furnished by the Deputy Commissioners of all the 30 districts as on March 31, 2016 indicated the requirement of burial grounds in 7,176 villages and the same has been reduced to 6,053 as on October 31, 2018. The government has allocated ₹10 crore in the budget for 2018-19 for providing burial grounds, it has been stated.
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The Bench adjourned hearing till January 16 asking the petitioner to respond to the government’s claims and also allowing the government to file additional statement.