Biratnagar, October 14 :

The District Forest Office (DFO), Morang, has initiated the process for prohibition of construction of concrete graves in the highway region. People, especially Janajatis, build concrete graves on either side of the highway. The DFO has taken the initiative after pressure from local residents to prohibit building of concrete graves in the district.

Chief of the Morang DFO, Dr Jagadish Chandra Baral said that the discussions with the local Janajatis on the prohibition have been initiated. Locals began protesting after the increasing trend among Janajatis like Rai, Limbu and Tamang to construct concrete graves in a haphazard manner. Dr Baral said the mushrooming number of concrete graves was not only creating economic and social deformities but also degrading the natural beauty of the area.

Recently, a discussion programme on the need to prohibit concrete graves’ construction was organized at Pathari VDC of Morang by Kirant Yakthum Chumlung. Most of the speakers on the occasion attributed the rise in number of concrete graves to the result of influences from the Christian religion and said that such a trend would have negative consequences.

Dr Baral said necessary homework has been started to establish Morang district as a concrete grave-free district within two years. He added that the Community Forest User groups have also been instructed to take necessary measures for the purpose and that more awareness programmes on the issue will be started.

The DFO has launched awareness programs aimed at convincing the Janajatis to plant a tree on the burial spot instead of building a concrete grave. According to the DFO statistics, altogether 2,500 concrete graves have been constructed in around nine VDCs of Morang till now, with the number in Pathari VDC totalling over 1000.