Muslim community again approaches NCM on Kabrastan

Muslim community again approaches NCM on Kabrastan
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, JUNE 23
Margao’s Muslim community has once again knocked the doors of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) to conduct another hearing on the contentious issue of Kabrastan.
Asserting that the entire Muslim community from Margao is opposed to the acquisition of land for burial grounds at Sonsodo, the general secretary of the Sirvodem Masjid, Abdulmatin Daud Carol has urged the Commission to hold hearing in the second week of July.
Carol, who is the petitioner before the Minority panel, drew attention of the Commission to the fact that at the last date of hearing held on May 25, the district Collector, South and the Secretary, Urban Development had agreed in principle that the government will not acquire land near the city garbage dumping site.
He submitted to the Commission that Muslim burials, which includes last rites and other religious ceremonies, takes around 3-4 hours, adding there are certain religious ceremonies, where the community members spend the whole night in the Kabrastan campus.
“The foul odour of the garbage dumped at the site is unbearable. The site is horrible to watch. There is every possibility that the persons visiting the site can fall ill”,  he said, while conveying to the Commission that it is not possible for the minority Muslim community to accept such land for a burial ground.
“The state government is not willing to allot suitable land for the Kabrastan, as it does not have the will power to do so due to reasons best known to them”, he said, adding “all laws, rules, regulations, procedures, objections, resistances, oppositions etc are applicable in the case of Kabrastan for the minority Muslim community, while land is acquired forcibly under relevant laws and allotted in the case of other communities”.