Shehr-e-Khamoshan: Model graveyard in Lahore to be functional soon
All the facilities for fulfilling rituals involved in burial of a dead body will be under one roof.
(Web desk) - When someone’s loved one dies, they go through the tiring and financially draining process of giving their loved one a proper burial. Washing the dead body, providing a coffin, buying the land designated for the grave, taking the dead body from the place where the funeral took place to the grave yard is an arduous procedure for the families of the deceased who are already in a state of mourning.
The middle and lower classes are the most affected when it comes to these preparations. And if the deceased belongs to a minority of the country, they suffer to a greater extent as there are very few graveyards for them. For example, for the Sikhs and Hindus living in lahore, they only have the facility of one graveyard.
Everyone wishes that they give a proper burial to their deceased loved one and send them off with dignity. But for many, affording the expenditures associated with a proper burial is not a possibility.
Keeping these problems under consideration, the Punjab government through its Strategic Reforms Unit has come up with the project Shehr-e-Khamoshan which would involve the setting up of model graveyards based on the pattern of graveyards in the cities of developing countries.
The first such graveyard has been established in Lahore and will be functional soon. Shehr-e-khamoshan provides all the facilities for fulfilling the rituals involved in the burial of a dead body under one roof.
Shehr-e-Khamoshan Authority’s Managing Director Salman sufi informed in an interview that these model graveyards will also be built to facilitate the burial and provision of last rites for the minorities of the country.
According to him, the model graveyard will have a helpline which can be called in need and will provide all kinds of information required to the family of the deceased. Facilities for washing the dead body, provision of cold storage, funeral prayer area and burial spot will all be present in one location.
Ambulance services will be provided and the family of the deceased can call the helpline to book the time and place of burial. Moreover, the place will also house ablution and waiting areas.
The graveyard will also feature cameras through which people from across Pakistan and around the world can view the grave of their loved ones.
The graveyard in Lahore is located on the Ferozepur Road and has the capacity of 8000 graves. All the graves will be of the same size and will be arranged in blocks. Graves will be excavated through the use of machinery. Families of those buried in the graveyard will be able to locate the graves of their loved ones through the use of computerised records.
The cold storage in the graveyard has the capacity of storing 40 dead bodies at a time. Four more graveyards under this model will be built in Lahore while construction of these graveyards is underway in Multan, Sargodha and Faisalabad.
All the facilities will be provided free of cost. Salman Sufi said that if someone is willing to pay he or she can pay for the grave and the money will be used for the maintenance of the graveyard.
According to Salman Sufi, till Feb 2018, there are plans to establish 20-25 graveyards that will fulfill the needs for the next 10-15 years.
This article originally appeared in BBCurdu.com
