11-19-2006, 09:59 PM
The Azizabad Karachi Graveyard is in shamble. During my visit on Eid 25 October 2006 I found its condition horrible. There is a large army of municipality employees on the payroll who have either only to sell water or very little to do. It is now an open secret that there is generally a mafia in the graveyards who minutes money by taking advantage of helpless relatives on the plea that graveyard is full but on a five figure currency note all of a sudden space itself comes forward. For this purpose this the graveyard employees adopt different unofficial ways under blessings of âsomeoneâ.
These caretaker employees who are bound to keep maintain the graveyard in clan condition do not cut the jungle undesired grass or branches and let them grow as thorny bushes so as some of the graves get inaccessibly encircled inside these bushes. The relatives then have no choice but to reduce weight of their pockets to get these bushes removed through same caretakers.
During this visit I found a new phenomena. Seeing which graves are not regularly attended by relatives, some of the graves are deliberately damaged, on name identification stones of such either white paint or cement has been put to make it unrecognizable for âre-allotmentâ on new down payment. I could not find the graveyard of my grandfather this time despite my best efforts. The active involvement of caretakers can be judged from only one fact that I saw active electric wires lying and going on the ground to some of the graves which are situated in some sort of a small room or under shade and during night bulbs are lightened there. This electricity used definitely is on graveyardâs official expense and not on any generator.
Though asking the local Government is just waste of time nevertheless feeling my conscious I do my moral duty of informing the concerned through this.
These caretaker employees who are bound to keep maintain the graveyard in clan condition do not cut the jungle undesired grass or branches and let them grow as thorny bushes so as some of the graves get inaccessibly encircled inside these bushes. The relatives then have no choice but to reduce weight of their pockets to get these bushes removed through same caretakers.
During this visit I found a new phenomena. Seeing which graves are not regularly attended by relatives, some of the graves are deliberately damaged, on name identification stones of such either white paint or cement has been put to make it unrecognizable for âre-allotmentâ on new down payment. I could not find the graveyard of my grandfather this time despite my best efforts. The active involvement of caretakers can be judged from only one fact that I saw active electric wires lying and going on the ground to some of the graves which are situated in some sort of a small room or under shade and during night bulbs are lightened there. This electricity used definitely is on graveyardâs official expense and not on any generator.
Though asking the local Government is just waste of time nevertheless feeling my conscious I do my moral duty of informing the concerned through this.