From Death to Dereliction

Cemetery in Govandi, Mumbai lies in waste. IndiaUnheard community correspondent Amol Lalzare presents the  disturbing scenario of Govandi Cemetery in Mumbai. He has produced a video which speaks about the neglect of the Bombay Municipal Authorities towards the cemetery. Says Amol, ”So if Christian communities have to bury their dear ones at the Govandi cemetery in Mumbai they have to undergo rigorous self penance themselves. This may or may not be the motive of the Mumbai corporation but the conditions in the cemetery say so.” The civic body Brihan Mumbai Corporation has 56 cemeteries in the metropolis under its Governance. Govandi cemetery lacks even the most basic amenities. There is an absence of drinking water facilities, the toilets are without water and the waste is never cleared. The stench of the accumulated pervades the cemetery grounds. The troubled visitors have tried but failed to get the authorities to act on their complaints. Amol Lalzare visited the Govandi cemetery for the first time to attend the funeral ceremony of a dear one. On stumbling upon a human skull on the open ground, Amol confesses to feeling 'disheartened' and 'disgraced' and at the same time feeling 'motivated' to make a protest video against the conditions of the cemetery. “It takes a lot of effort to neglect certain fundamental responsibilities and with the Govandi cemetery, the BMC has certainly flagged a paragon of irresponsibility. The cemetery is supposed to be a holy place of calm and solace to bury and bereave a resting soul. But Brihan Mumbai Corporation has turned the Govandi Cemetery into a cesspool.”says Amol. Amol recounts that he had no problems in shooting the video as everyone including the functioning staff members of the cemetery and the visitors supported him. He hopes that his videos and the anguished voices he documented will help bring a necessary changes for the cemetery.
 

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