KARACHI, Jan 12: The Provincial Ombudsman, Justice (retd) Haziqul Khairi, has invited suggestions from the public and the departments of Islamic Studies in major universities in the country after receiving a number of complaints in respect of deteriorating conditions in city’s graveyards, including paucity of space.

The city Nazim had been asked to submit a working paper on graves, particularly with reference to the following points among other: whether due to shortage of space, graveyards could be allowed to be raised vertically up to a number of storeys; whether old and new graveyards be properly marked, numbered and registered indicating name and date of death of a deceased, serial number of grave and a guide map displayed at the main entrance of the graveyard.

Accordingly, the city government submitted that out of 187 Muslim graveyards in the city, the defunct KMC possessed the land control of 64 graveyards only.

Twenty-five graveyards were full to capacity and the remaining thirty-nine have space for proper burial.

Under the bylaws, the defunct KMC was supposed to manage the graveyards. There is no bar on the construction of a permanent structure of the graves.

However, mazar/tombs are not allowed to be constructed. No report about the encroachment is available on record. No provision exists to grant permission for preservation of graves.—APP