New cantonment graveyard on the cards

The authorities of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) have eventually taken notice of the lack of space for new graves in all graveyards of the cantonment and decided to acquire 200 kanals of land in the Rakh Dhamial Graveyard spread over 1,000 kanals.

Sources said, Director General Military Land and Cantonments, Major General Tariq Zameer, will soon visit the Rakh Dhamial Graveyard and also examine an alternative route from Adiala Road to reach the cemetary.

The long-standing problem of lack of space for new graves in all the extisting cemetaries for the civilian population in 20 wards of the Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment Boards is likely to be resolved after the cantonment authorities took notice of the problem.

This most important issue has long been raised by the elected members of both the Cantonment Boards at the level of Cantonment Executive Officers and Station Commanders in addition to every other board meeting.

However, after the recent death of a retired senior officer of the RCB, it was noticed by the RCB officers, attending his funeral, that there was room for new graves at the time of burial in the Race Course Civilian Cemetery.

On this occasion, it was also informed about the lack of capacity for new graves in all existing civilian cemeteries within the limits of Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment boards.

At this, it was decided that 200 kanals of the land will be acquired for the Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonments in the cemetery covering 1,000 kanals of land in Rakh Dhamial, which was recently inaugurated by Punjab Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Muhammad Basharat Raja.

In this context, Additional Cantonment Executive Officer Syeda Umama Ali along with Chairman Commercial Assessment Committee and Member Cantonment Board Haji Zafar Iqbal and others visited the Rakh Dhamial Cemetery on Tuesday.

According to the sources, Director General Military Land and Cantonments Pakistan Major General Tariq Zameer along with Cantonment officers will also visit the Rakh Dhamial Cemetery soon.

Apart from constructing a separate boundary wall, all the requirements of a new cemetery for the cantonment will be provided on this land. Preparation of new graves in the cemetery, marking for the same and arrangements for transportation of dead bodies from cantonment areas to this cemetery by hearses will be completed for which a focal person will also be appointed.

It should be noted that the 1,000 kanal land of Rakh Dhamial Graveyard is owned by the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation for which the Punjab Government has started the process of completing all the necessary arrangements.

Marking of the boundary walls, ablution room and funeral prayer area, inner path of the cemetery and regular plots for graves has also been completed.

According to the sources, after acquiring 200 kanals of land from the said cemetery for the cantonment and establishing a new cemetery, the new graves will be banned in the existing cemeteries of the cantonment.