BADIN, Oct 21: Owing to a continuous neglect by the authorities, burial of the dead has become a big problem in Badin as the existing graveyards are very much crowded and there is hardly any space available on the outskirts to be used as a new burial place.

According to settled rules of land pattern, graveyards are defined as “amenity plots” for which municipal committees and corporations, even taluka councils, are supposed to earmark specific piece of land. But instead of allotting a plot for the purpose, it is observed that the officials concerned have been encouraging encroachment tendency for a long time.

They simply shut their eyes when their palms are greased, which is quite dangerous, unethical and violation of human rights declaration.

The illegal occupation spree is in full swing here and influential people are patronizing encroachments upon the resting place of the dead. It seems as if the authorities have ignored the elements involved in the activity for a long time.

This inattention of the authorities has left bereaved families at the mercy of grave diggers who may level an existing grave to accommodate a fresh body.

There are six main graveyards here — Dargah Shah Qadri, Dargah Maha Wali, Shaikh Umar, Dargah Mianwali, Olya Moulana Haji Ahmed Mallah and Olya Warayo Malang — where prosperous people construct cemented graves which take several decades to vanish and leave hardly any room for new burials. The people with meagre resources are contented with graves plastered with mud, but those resting places cave in within a few years and make room for fresh burials.

Ill-planning of graveyards leaves no space for visitors and presence of stray dogs and cattle adds miseries to people.

A few years ago, encroachers supported by some influential people desecrated the grave of a non-Muslim at the Bachal Shah graveyard in Tando Bago town, but the authorities remained tight-lipped.

The encroachers’ activities are in full swing under the umbrella of the authorities since the shifting of Seerani bus stop from Shahnawaz chowk to a place near the graveyard of Shah Qadri. They have encroached upon even spaces of Dargahs.

Badin is a historical place having several Dargahs. The main Dargah Shah Qadri is an old one. Pir Aali Shah Jeelani, Sajjaada Nasheen of Darga Shah Qadri, who is a descended from Syed Abdul Qadir Jeelani of Bagdad, has reserved more than 100 acres of his costly land for the graveyard.

A large number of people come every first Monday of the month to celebrate “Sawo Soomar” at the dargah and most of them spend the night.

This graveyard is now in the clutches of encroachers who have built houses and other facilities in a queue along its perimeter. A large number of families have virtually converted a major part of the graveyard of Shah Qadri and that of Dargah Maha Wali into a city within a city.

18 ‘bonded labourers’ freed

A sessions court freed 18 bonded labourers, including 10 minors, recovered allegedly from the farm of a local landlord on Monday.

Shrimti Nouma filed an application before the Badin district and sessions judge seeking the release of 18 persons of four families of labourers allegedly detained by landlord Khamiso Arain near Tando Ghulam Ali.

The court transferred the application to the 2nd additional district and sessions judge, who ordered the Tando Ghulam Ali police for production of the detainees.

In compliance with the court orders, the police produced them in court on Monday and the judge ruled that they were free to go anywhere.

The court also allowed the landlord to file a case against the applicant and the detainees for the recovery of his money he had lent to them.

The applicant alleged that landlord Khamiso did not provide them food and medicines and had wrongfully detained them.

The SHO of the Tando Ghulam Ali police station submitted that the alleged detainees had already packed their articles and came freely to the police after seeing a police mobile.

According to the landlord, detainees are his haris and they were being paid money whenever they needed for food and healthcare needs.

He told Dawn he would file a suit for the recovery of his loan in a court of law against them.