Bombay HC Criticizes Maharashtra Govt Over Delays in Burial Ground Development
The Bombay High Court has reprimanded the state and TMC for not developing burial grounds in Thane despite reserved land.
Bombay, Maharashtra, Burial Grounds, Thane Municipal Corporation, Public Interest Litigation
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court really let the Maharashtra government and the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) have it. They’ve been dragging their feet on developing burial grounds, even though they set aside land for it ages ago.
The judges were pretty blunt, asking why nothing had been done in four years. They pointed out that leveling the land isn’t rocket science. It’s a simple task, so what’s the hold-up?
The court made it clear that the 37,000-sqm plot at Bhayander Pada, meant for a multi-faith cemetery and memorial garden, should only be used for that purpose. They also told TMC to put up a fence to keep out any illegal squatters and to come up with a project plan before the next hearing.
This all started because a Thane resident, Melwyn Fernandes, filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). He claimed TMC was trying to hand over the burial ground land to a private company for a luxury housing project. But the company’s lawyer denied that was the case.
While TMC’s lawyer said they were working on the burial ground, Fernandes’ lawyer argued that the site was being misused for construction stuff, like storing materials and parking. It didn’t sound like they were doing much to develop the burial ground at all.
TMC also mentioned that part of the land was in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and couldn’t be developed. The court shot back, asking why they reserved it for a burial ground in the first place if that was the case.
Fernandes pointed out other instances where land meant for cemeteries was being misused, like slum encroachments and even weddings. He said they’d filed complaints, but TMC just kept saying it was a legal matter.
The court ordered the state to provide an update on all reserved cemetery plots in TMC’s area and what they were doing to develop them. They stressed that the need for burial grounds has likely grown over time and wanted TMC to report on the progress of all these plots.
In a straightforward remark, the court said it doesn’t take a genius to see that the city is short on burial grounds. They’ve scheduled the next hearing for February 12.