Church makes ‘ultimate sacrifice’

Jisha Surya
First Published : 04 Aug 2010

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Finally, there is a way out of one of the biggest road blocks in the development of the MLA Hostel-Airport Road under the Thiruvananthapuram City Road Improvement Project (TCRIP).
 Dismantling portions of two cemeteries at Pattoor - one owned by the St Joseph’s Latin Catholic Cathedral, Palayam, and the other belonging to the St Thomas Marthoma Church, Pattoor, was a highly sensitive issue, which troubled the officials of the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) and TRIDA for years. The church authorities too faced stiff opposition from followers, who were not ready to compromise on the memorials of their loved ones. After six long years of discussions, the churches have finally agreed to shift the dead souls for a purpose that will benefit the entire society.
 The authorities of both the churches have handed over authorisation letters to the Road Fund Board. As compensation, the Government will give a bigger area of land - at Pattoor on the Public Health Lab premises - than what the churches now own and the Road Fund Board will construct vaults and retaining walls for the cemeteries.
 As many as 500 bodies will be shifted from 23 cents of the 165-year-old cemetery belonging to the St Joseph’s Cathedral. The new cemetery will be constructed on 27 cents of land belonging to the Public Health Department.
 ‘‘The amount required to construct 800 vaults will also be given by the KRFB,’’ said Fr C Joseph, vicar, St Joseph’s Cathedral. Mortal remains of hundreds of people at the 13.5-cent cemetery of the Marthoma church at Pattoor too will be taken to the PH Lab premises.
 Work to shift the corpses will be a tedious process which may take almost an year.
 “There was stiff opposition from the people because they thought once handed over, the government would bulldoze the cemetery. Taking their sentiments into consideration, remains of each of the buried will be collected in separate caskets and transferred to a new vault with all rituals. As it is a time-consuming process, only two graves will be shifted per day,” Fr Joseph said.
 He said the church took the initiative in talking to the relatives who faced a Catch-22 situation following the decision to remove the remains of their beloved. “Giving land for road-widening is essential for development. The Latin Catholic Church has always stood for the development of the nation. During the construction of ISRO at Thumba, the diocese was ready to give away its church and the land for it,” Fr Joseph said.
 It was the intervention of the new PWD Minister M Vijayakumar, former PWD Minister Mons Joseph, Health Minister P K Sreemathi and TRIDA Chairman Ajayakumar over a period of time which broke the ice. Sreemathi took the initiative in handing over the land of the Public Health Department which lies adjacent to both the cemeteries.
jisha@expressbuzz.com