Nuvem Village Petition Calls for Inclusive Burial and Cremation Grounds for All Religions

Margao: A formal petition was submitted to the Nuvem village panchayat requesting the establishment of dedicated burial and cremation grounds for all religious communities in the area.
This highlights a long-standing issue affecting Muslim residents in particular.
Abdul Matin Carol, a member of the All Goa Muslim Jamat, filed the petition citing directives from the human rights commission and previous govt memoranda that instruct local bodies to provide these essential facilities. The petition specifically requests the establishment of cremation grounds for the Hindu community, burial grounds for Christians, and a kabrastan (burial ground) for Muslims within the panchayat’s jurisdiction.
“The bodies from Nuvem are currently taken to Margao for burials,” Carol said in his petition, pointing to the overburdened nature of existing facilities. “The present Muslim burial ground located in Margao is being used by 32 villages of Salcete, with 30 to 40 burials a month being carried out at the Pajifond hill kabrastan,” he said.
According to the petition, the Pajifond burial ground is approximately 175 years old and was established when Margao’s population was less than 3,000. The Muslim community has been requesting additional burial space since 1980. The petition refers to Section 246 of the Goa Government Act, 1968, which mandates local bodies to provide burial and cremation grounds to all citizens within their jurisdiction in coordination with district collectors.
Carol noted that although land acquisition proceedings at Sonsoddo were completed in 2011 for facilities serving all three religious communities, construction of the new kabrastan has not yet begun. The petition asks the panchayat to seek assistance from the block development officer or the additional director of panchayat II, South Goa, if necessary, to locate suitable land for these facilities.