Kursheed calls for amicable solution to kabrastan issue

MARGAO, JAN 2  
Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Salman Kursheed has said the need for a burial ground for the Muslim community is indeed a serious issue, but underlined the need to approach the issue with a solution in mind rather than aggravating the problem further.
Speaking to newsmen at the residence of South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha at Curtorim on Sunday after the Congress minority cell submitted a memorandum listing out various problems faced by the Muslim community, Kursheed said the time is running out and the problem needs to be addressed at the earliest.
“There are some issues faced by the minorities. I have discussed the problems with our friends. My advise is that while public representatives and the Chief Minister would work towards finding a solution, we have to ensure that a solution is found acceptable to all the people”, he added.
After giving a patient hearing to the members of the Muslim community that called on him at the residence of the South Goa MP, The Union Minister said “Today, we have hear some proposal that would bring greater opportunity to bring everyone together”.
Saying that it is important to have a burial ground for the Muslim and Christian communities and a crematorium for the Hindu brethren, Kursheed said “This is a common problem. We have to find a solution. Land in Goa is in short supply. There’s no doubt about it. The State faced a problem when the Railways wanted to build a line. We have to be equally sensitive to that concern”.
Saying that the kabrastan is a very serious issue, he said the issue needs to be addressed with a sense of urgency. “I have discussed the matter with the Chief Minister and Francisco Sardinha. We will try to find out a solution. We are running out of time, that’s why we need to do something quickly”, he added.
The South Goa MP said it is unfortunate that the kabrastan issue is not addressed till date. “I will insist with the chief minister that we all sit down next week and work out a solution. The minority community is asking basic thing. We have to address them so that it is not aggravated further”, he said.
Sardinha said around 3-4 solutions have been mooted by the community, adding that the efforts should be made to work out a solution with one of the proposals.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee Minority Cell leader Babloo said the delegation submitted a memorandum to the union minister listing out various problems, including problems faced by the Urdu schools etc. “We have also brought to the notice of the union minister that the Congress party had ignored the Muslim community while allocating tickets for the Assembly polls last time. We have also asked him to use his good offices with the State government to solve the long pending kabrastan problem”, Babloo added.