LAHORE: The City District Government of Lahore (CDGL) plans a model graveyard -Miani Sahib-2- in Lahore along the pattern of cemeteries in the United States.

The need for a spacious, planned final resting place stems from the fact that there is no room for graves in decades-old Miani Sahib and other graveyards as well. A source says the CDGL is likely to ban burials in Miani Sahib.

Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Salman Mufti is pursuing the plan. A couple of months ago, he visited a cemetery in the US and was impressed by its landscape and facilities provided for the inhabitants and their visitors.

CDGL Assistant Director Shakil Anjum Gilani told Dawn on Friday a meeting was held at the DCO office where Mr Mufti and senior officials discussed the project.

Mr Gilani, who is also Miani Sahib Graveyard administrator, said the meeting heard the model graveyard would have facilities like concrete passages, lights, washrooms, computerised burial record, a place for giving a bath to bodies, a place for funeral prayers, and offices for staff and security people.

Mr Gilani said the staff would shift the body from the house to the graveyard while heirs, family and friends would arrive at the graveyard on their own for funeral prayers.

He said the proposed place for the graveyard was near Kahna where the government had earlier planned to acquire the land of four villages under a Rs401 million project. Of the four villages, two fall under the LDA City while the remaining two would be acquired for the graveyard.

He said residential schemes which popped up around the city in recent decades had not developed graveyards putting Miani Sahib under a huge burial load. He recommended graveyards in all parts of the city.

The official said as the issue was so grave, the government was taking up Miani Shaib-2 keenly.

SERVICE: The Lahore Transport Company (LTC) in collaboration with its private transport operators began a special a bus service for Sikhs to transport them from the railway station to Gurdwara Dera Sahib (near Badshahi Mosque). They arrived in the city on Friday by trains from Panja Sahib (Hasan Abdal) and Nankana Sahib.

According to the LTC, 22 buses are being plied on the route and each bus would complete two trips to provide comfortable transport facilities to pilgrims for Baisakhi festival. The fare is Rs35 per head. Similarly, Sikhs will be facilitated with buses on their departure to India on April 20.

HELD: Price control magistrates on Friday got 45 shopkeepers arrested for overcharging and hoarding. The officials, according to a spokesman, also imposed a Rs135,000 fine on several others.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2015

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