Goa Muslims demanding a Qabrastan for last 20 yrs Submitted by admin4 on 13 August 2011 - 3:14pm Indian Muslim By Mumtaz

Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net, Mulla Salim has approached everyone from Panchayat to PMO, from Governor to Pres ident of India in last three years but all in vain so far. The local panchayat a cquired the land some years ago but the district authorities are not moving to d evelop the plot for the purpose. He, however, has not given up. The fight began in 1991 when the Muslim residents of Curti Khandepar Ponda villa ge of Ponda taluk in North Goa district demanded a Qabrastan (graveyard) as the old one in the hilly area had become overcrowded. Some 17 years later in 2008, t he local panchayat acquired around 17110 Sq Mts of land with a condition that th e equal portion of the plot will be used by each of the three communities Muslim s, Hindus and Christians. It meant that on the plot there will be a Qabrastan, a Crematorium and a Cemetery. Yet, the district authorities have not since moved to develop the piece of land. I have knocked at every door MLA, MP, PMO, Governor and President of India. I hav e also approached National Commission for Minorities but all efforts are in vain so far as the local district authorities are not heeding to the demand, said Mul la Salim, social and political activist, while talking to TwoCircles.net over ph one from Kuwait where he is nowadays on a personal visit. Salim has received a reply from Prime Ministers Office (PMO) that a report from c ollector has been sought in this regard. The secretariat of Goa Governor has als o sent a letter to DM in January 2011 seeking reply by 18th February 2011 but ab out six months have since passed there is no progress on the ground, Salim infor med. The National Commission for Minorities seems to be very toothless body as they ca nt implement their recommendation, he says and criticizes the Congress government for keeping the body toothless. It is interesting to note here that on the request of the NCM for sanction of su itable sites for burial ground for minority communities in the country, the Unio n Ministry of Urban Development vide its letter dated 19th May, 2011 instructed the State Governments/UTs and Municipal authorities to take appropriate steps for allotment of land for burial places. But while in the Goa case land is already a cquired, the authorities are not moving to construct and develop it for the purp ose. Responding to Mulla Salims memorandum, the secretariat of the Goa Governor sent a letter to North Goa district collector on 17 January 2011. Pandharinath N. Naik , Under-Secretary, Revenue Department, Secretariat, Goa, forwarded a letter date d 11 Jan 2011 from Commissionor and Secretary to Governor, addressed to CS, Goa along with representation dated 5 Nov 2010 received from Mulla Salim, resident o f Ponda regarding construction of Qabrastan and Hindu crematorium at Curti, Pond a. Salim had made a request to start the construction of crematorium and qabrastan in survey no. 83/0 and 82/0 of village Curti Khandepar Ponda in Ponda Taluka. The Under-Secretary asked the collector to examine and take necessary action in the matter and send the action taken report to him on or before 18/02/2011 for o nward submission to the office of governor. Salim has no idea if the collector r esponded to the letter but he knows that no development work has started on the

acquired land. As a last resort, Salim in July 2011 approached the Supreme Court of India. He u rged the apex court to intervene in this human rights violation case. What will he do next if the land is not developed for the graveyard? I will have to go to the community to aware them about the issue, said Salim.