Pratik Parab
pratik@herald-goa.com
For the last 23 years, the Muslim community in Margao has been awaiting space for a new kabrastan. Their cries have echoed at the Dialogue for Margao with AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal. Over the years, the Muslim community has submitted numerous memorandums to the Collector, Chief Ministers, Chief Secretaries and others, but the impasse continues.
The Muslims are presently using the kabrastan in Pajifond, which is very old and has been completely occupied 25 years ago. There is no room whatsoever to bury the dead in dignity and now they have begun to crush stone and create space to bury the dead.
Despite being a minority, the number of Muslims in Margao and Fatorda is quite large, and are wooed at every election. But their demands have been ignored. Several petitions have been filed with the National Human Rights Commission, National Health Commission, National Minorities Commission and various other State authorities but there has been no relief.
Qurram Quazi from Margao, speaking at the dialogue, said that successive governments and especially the Margao MLA have cheated Muslims for several decades. “The Margao MLA was also the Chief Minister of Goa and failed to give right to the minority Muslims of Margao,” Quazi said.
To this, Arvind Kejriwal replied, “A graveyard is a right of Christians and Muslims and this issue has reminded me of Mother Teresa. I worked with her for two years in Kolkata taking care of dying destitute persons. We used to treat, clean and care for them and Mother told me that as they did not get dignity in life but they should get dignity in death. Dignity of life and death is needed and if land is required then it should be given as it is the right of the people,” he said.
The kabrastan issue has a long history. As land at the Pajifond burial ground was getting exhausted several masjid committees had sought new land.
In July 1999, when Luizinho Faleiro was Chief Minister, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat had raised the issue in the Assembly and had got land for kabrastan allotted. The chief of National Minorities Commission Shafi Qureshi had later directed Kamat, who was Chief Minister by then, to execute the order.
Later, Manohar Parrikar had lashed out at Kamat for his failure to provide a burial ground for the Muslims of Margao and promised to provide a burial ground to the community as soon as he comes to power.
A piece of land near Sonsoddo has been cleared for the kabrastan by the previous Congress government. The move was initially resisted by the Muslim associations and mosques as it was near the garbage dump and because it was alleged that the Congress planned to give away the previously allotted land in Margao to developers for construction.
Abdul Matin Carol, who was a petitioner in the case, said that during the Congress government, comunidade land behind the Pandava Chapel measuring 99,500 sq mts was acquired to be divided into equal parts and given to Hindus, Muslims and Christians. This decision was taken by the Congress government.
In 2010, then MMC chairperson John Fernandes again presented the proposal at the MMC meeting and this was passed unanimously. Eventually, the proposed land was set aside.
Matin Carol has earlier said that RTI documents revealed that several builders were waiting for the land at Aquem to be given to them. That is the reason the land has been set aside and land near Sonsoddo is proposed.
Muslim associations in Goa and India have rejected the land near Sonsoddo due to the polluted environment. Land near Sonsoddo was acquired and it was later revealed that it was not suitable for development. Setting aside all opposition work was due to begin when the Raia Fabrica stopped the work claiming the land belongs to them.
23 years have passed. But since actual construction work on the kabrastan still hasn’t commenced, the promise of giving a decent burial to departed Muslims, still lies buried.
