Mumbai: Can accommodate 3,000 more graves, says Bada Qabristan

A total of 137 burials were carried out at Bada Qabristan in April

While some cemeteries in the city are on the verge of closing down, in fear that an impending third wave of the Coronavirus could result in a chronic shortage of graves, the Juma Masjid Trust-owned Bada Qabristan in South Mumbai is confident of accommodating more than 3,000 burials at this point - despite the rising number of Covid-19 deaths.

According to Juma Masjid Trustee Shoaib Khatib, the ample burial space at Bada Qabristan is due to two reasons. "During the first wave last year, we had divided the entire cemetery into two parts: general and Covid-19," he said, speaking with mid-day. "Secondly, we have ensured that the burial space for each grave is exactly 3.5 feet [breadth] x 7 feet [length]. This has been done with proper planning, resulting in more of overall burial space."

mid-day had earlier reported about how, at the brink of the second wave, Bada Qabristan had not only revived its Covid-19 task force team, but also added 13 members to its squad to help in assisting, guiding, and providing information to the city's Muslim community about SOPs to be followed while burying someone.

A total of 137 Covid-19 burials were carried out at Bada Qabristan in the month of April. Previously in March, the recorded death toll at the cemetery was at 40 - out of which 35 were recorded between March 27 and March 31. "So far, this month, we have had 29 burials," said Khatib. "But we can still manage to accommodate more than 3,000 burials." He added, "If all the graves are not of uniform dimensions, it leads to a space crunch in the cemetery, which in turn means that families of the deceased have to be turned away."