The local Muslim community is facing problem due to lack of space for cemetery. The burial of the dead has become costly and problematic affair for the 25 Muslim families in Galkot municipality here for lack of burial ground nearby.
These families have been facing this problem for decades now. Whenever somebody from their community dies, the mortal remains have to be carried a long way on the bank of the Kaligandaki river at Baglung Bazaar, the district headquarters.
Community elder Rahamad Hakim Miya said that they do not have space for their community cemetery.
"We placed our demand to the municipality and the ward office requesting them to allot us public land for use as cemetery. But our request has so far fallen on deaf ears, and we have been greatly inconvenienced due to this," he complained.
According to him, it costs thousands of rupees to bring the bodies for burial on the bank of the Kali Gandaki river as the mourners along with the body have to be transported in motor vehicle.
Before there was road, it took whole day to carry the body to the burial ground on the bank of the Kali Gandaki which is 50 kilometers from Galkot.
It took Rs 40,000 to bring the body of one Karima Khatun to the burial ground on the bank of the Kaligandaki river some five years back, Miya shared.
The Muslim community here has not been allotted space for burial ground due to the lack of land management by the municipality.
Mayor of Galkot municipality, Bharat Sharma, said that the municipality is looking for suitable land within the municipality for the Muslim community to use as burial ground, but have not found one so far.
"They have been placing their demand for many years. The municipality office is serious regarding their demand and as such we are vigorously searching for a suitable place for the same," he said.
According to mayor Sharma, since cemetery is a sensitive issue the other communities around the place have to be taken into confidence; so the difficulty in finding a suitable place for the cemetery for the Muslim community.
