By Ayman Adly/Staff Reporter
Mechanical equipment should not be used to carry the coffin of the dead and bury them at Mesaimeer graveyard, the Central Municipal Council (CMC) recommended Tuesday.
The council was of the view that the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning (MMUP) should instruct that coffins should be carried by people as many consider it an insult to use a loader in burying the dead.
Also, the sand used to fill the grave should be free from rocks to maintain the dignity of the dead. The council recommended that MMUP work closely with the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) to address the issue of high water table levels of underground water that have damaged a number of old graves and make sure to remove the overgrown weeds.
The Council saw that the exit and entry to the graveyard burials need to be further regulated because hundreds of cars enter and exit the place at the same time creating huge crowd and considerable risk to motorists and mourners.
CMC member Mohamed bin Zafer al-Hajiri suggested that all vehicles should not be allowed to enter the cemetery. Instead they should be parked outside and mourners be taken inside in buses or a tram to avoid unnecessary crowd.
The Council asked the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) to instruct the clergymen at cemetery mosque to make mourners use the designated halls to receive condolences rather than gathering by the graves.
Mesaimeer graveyard
