Collector reverts burial ground issue to MMC

the goan I networkrMARGAO rSouth Goa district Collector Swapnil Naik on Tuesday has remanded back to the Margao Municipal Council the contentious issue of making available a portion of the St Sebastian cemetery at Aquem to other religious sects for burial. r When the matter came up before the district Collector on Tuesday evening, Naik made it clear that he is not the authority to decide on such matters, saying that civic body is empowered under the law to make provision for burial grounds for all religious rcommunities. r The matter was referred to the district Collector, South by former Margao Municipal Council Chief Officer, Y B Tawde after the Director of Municipal Administration passed an order, rejecting a resolution passed by the civic body stating that burial group of one particular community cannot be made available for other communities. r A group of Aquem residents led by Adv Rajiv Gomes, Councillor Arthur D’Silva and others and a representative of a Christian religious sect appeared before the district Collector Swapnil Naik and Additional Collector, Johnson Fernandes on Tuesday evening. r Adv Rajiv Gomes later told the media that they are not against any religious community or sect, but made it clear that it’s not fair to take away a portion of the cemetery from the Catholic community and hand it over to another section. “We demand that the Margao Municipality start the process to acquire land so that the requirement of burial grounds for all the religious communities is achieved at the earliest,” he said. r Councillor Arthur D’Silva said the St Sebastian Cemetery at Aquem was not built by the government, adding that only the retaining wall and land filling was undertaken with funds under the MPLAD scheme.