Acute land crisis in Dhaka graveyards, crores of taka spent for a few cubits of earth
Photo: Collected
In the capital Dhaka, holding on to a grave space for the long term as a final resting place after death has now become a huge financial burden for many families. While the government registration fee for an ordinary burial is only Tk 500, the cost of preserving a grave for a long time is reaching lakhs to crores of taka. At Banani graveyard in particular, preserving a grave of around 20 square feet costs about Tk 4.5 crore for 25 years and about Tk 3 crore for 15 years. Because of urbanisation, dense settlement and severe limitation of land, this crisis is becoming increasingly evident in Dhaka’s graveyards.
The graveyard in Dhaka’s upscale Banani area is one of the examples of this crisis. Getting a space here is not certain even in exchange for money, because there is no abundance of space. Banani currently has more than 9,000 graves. The term of burial in the general rows is two years, after which the space is prepared for reuse. And in the case of reserved graves, relatives have to pay Tk 50,500 for each re-burial. The fee for reserved graves has been set at such a high rate precisely to keep the burial process for new bodies running.
The same crisis is being seen in the other graveyards under Dhaka North (DNCC) and South (DSCC) city corporations as well.
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- Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard: An ordinary burial costs about Tk 1,956 in total (fee Tk 500 + other costs Tk 1,456). However, preserving a grave for 15 and 25 years costs Tk 20 lakh and Tk 30 lakh respectively (which can be up to Tk 90 lakh in the general area).DNCC: The total land of the 7 public graveyards under it (Banani, Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals, the one adjacent to the Rayerbazar Killing Ground Memorial, and Uttara sectors 4, 12, 14 and Chamurkhan) is about 192 acres.
- Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard: An ordinary burial costs about Tk 1,956 in total (fee Tk 500 + other costs Tk 1,456). However, preserving a grave for 15 and 25 years costs Tk 20 lakh and Tk 30 lakh respectively (which can be up to Tk 90 lakh in the general area).
- Rayerbazar Graveyard: The cost of preservation for 15 and 25 years is Tk 10 lakh and Tk 15 lakh respectively.
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- Although the fee for an ordinary burial at these graveyards is Tk 500, the total cost including other expenses comes to Tk 955 (child) to Tk 1,580 (adult).DSCC: The 5 registered graveyards under it (Azimpur, Jurain, Dholpur Brahmanchiran, Muradpur and Khilgaon) have about 59 acres of land in total.
- Although the fee for an ordinary burial at these graveyards is Tk 500, the total cost including other expenses comes to Tk 955 (child) to Tk 1,580 (adult).
- Azimpur Graveyard: As 30 to 35 bodies are buried every day on average, ordinary graves have to be reused after the set time (about one year). Here the lease fees for 10, 15, 20 and 25 years are Tk 5, 10, 15 and 20 lakh respectively. If it is not renewed at the end of the term, the grave is treated as an ordinary one and another body is buried there.
However, there are special facilities for valiant freedom fighters; at DNCC graveyards they have the opportunity to have a grave preserved free of charge for 10 years, and at Rayerbazar there is provision for lifelong preservation.
According to urban planners, graveyards, like housing, roads or educational institutions, are a very important part of urban planning. Professor Dr Akter Mahmud, former president of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners, and Md Ashraful Islam, chief town planner of Rajuk, said that under the private land development rules, one acre of graveyard is needed for every 50,000 people. By that count, this city with its huge population needs several hundred more acres of land. Although many people now bury their relatives in villages, dependence will grow in future on the part of the generation that has settled permanently in the city.
In ever-growing Dhaka, just as land for housing the living is shrinking, ensuring a final shelter for the dead has also become difficult. Although attempts are being made to tackle this crisis through the reuse of old graves in the short term and huge fees in the long term, the lack of land in Dhaka’s graveyard management has now taken the shape of a harsh urban reality.
- Although the fee for an ordinary burial at these graveyards is Tk 500, the total cost including other expenses comes to Tk 955 (child) to Tk 1,580 (adult).DSCC: The 5 registered graveyards under it (Azimpur, Jurain, Dholpur Brahmanchiran, Muradpur and Khilgaon) have about 59 acres of land in total.
- Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard: An ordinary burial costs about Tk 1,956 in total (fee Tk 500 + other costs Tk 1,456). However, preserving a grave for 15 and 25 years costs Tk 20 lakh and Tk 30 lakh respectively (which can be up to Tk 90 lakh in the general area).DNCC: The total land of the 7 public graveyards under it (Banani, Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals, the one adjacent to the Rayerbazar Killing Ground Memorial, and Uttara sectors 4, 12, 14 and Chamurkhan) is about 192 acres.
