Gravedigger arrested in Karachi for selling grave in Rs60,000

KARACHI: A gravedigger has been arrested in the metropolitan city for selling a grave at an expensive price, ARY News reported on Thursday.

The arrest was made during a joint operation by Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan police and the Director of Graveyards, Sarwar Alam, after receiving directives from the Assistant Commissioner.

According to police officials, a gravedigger has been arrested for selling a grave at Rs60,000 which is way above than prescribed price of Rs14,300 set by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).

Police officials said that further investigation is going on and an FIR is being registered against the gravedigger.

Read More: No space for dead as Karachi graveyards become swindlers’ playgrounds

Recently, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on the directives of Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab has fixed the price of a grave at Rs14,300 in order to regulate the graveyards of the city.

Cemeteries Director Sarwar Alam has directed cemeteries’ staff to comply with the KMC’s regulations and prescribed rates. He urged the strict enforcement of regulations, warning any instance of overcharging would lead to stern action against those involved.

Some media reports suggested that mafia groups are active at many city graveyards in Karachi, extorting extra money from citizens.

The availability of a grave has become a major problem for a common man in Karachi, with many cemeteries either running out of space or their management selling graves at exorbitant rates.

Earlier, a petition was filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) against the encroachments in graveyards.

According to the petition a ban has been imposed on burials in Karachi’s cemeteries including Sakhi Hassan, Paposh Nagar, Tariq Road and some other graveyards, while pieces of land for graves being sold at Punjab Colony, Gizri, Korangi, Landhi and Malir graveyards in the city.

Selling land for graves is a violation of the constitution as it is the responsibility of the state to provide land for graves, the petitioner argued.

Petitioner sought the court’s order for restoration of the changed status of the plots of land, which were allotted for cemeteries and construction of boundaries around these plots.