Visakhapatnam's Burial Ground Crisis: New Colonies Face Severe Shortage
Newly emerging colonies and rapidly expanding residential areas in Greater Visakhapatnam are now confronting a severe and distressing shortage of burial grounds and crematoriums. This critical infrastructure gap is forcing grieving families to travel long distances to access poorly maintained ghats for performing final rites, adding immense emotional and logistical burden during times of loss.
Inadequate Facilities Across the City
Many of these existing burial sites lack even basic facilities such as reliable water supply, proper shelter structures, and adequate lighting. With a population of approximately 28 lakh residents, Visakhapatnam has been expanding significantly toward Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Aganampudi, Lankelapalem, and Anakapalli along the Vijayawada highway. Despite this growth, the city's civic body has prioritized beautification projects over addressing fundamental infrastructure needs for burial grounds.
Of the 225 burial grounds spread across the city, a staggering 40% completely lack water supply facilities and functional washrooms. Furthermore, 30% of these sites have no proper designated area for grieving relatives to stand during the final rites ceremonies, creating additional discomfort during already difficult moments.
Administrative Challenges and Lack of Coordination
City Chief Medical Officer Naresh Kumar stated that sanitation issues are being addressed systematically and that death certificates continue to be issued without interruption. However, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation authorities have admitted that proposals for establishing new burial grounds were drafted following the city's second merger with outskirt areas, yet none of these plans have materialized into actual facilities.
Interestingly, there is no single dedicated wing within GVMC specifically responsible for managing and maintaining these burial grounds. The town planning department handles the designation and notification of new sites for burial grounds, the engineering wing undertakes construction works in existing ones, and the medical wing focuses on issuing death certificates. This fragmented approach has contributed to the current crisis.
Encroachment Problems and Community Impact
The majority of burial grounds across Visakhapatnam lack proper compound walls, and most of these lands have already suffered from various encroachments. Even after repeated pleas from local residents, authorities have not demonstrated full commitment to resolving these pressing issues.
"We were forced to perform the final rites of our grandmother at MVP Colony, approximately 7 kilometers away from Madhurawada, last week," alleged K Muralikrishna, a technology professional. "The locals treat the burial ground as being exclusively for their village people and not for residents of adjacent colonies."
Planning Deficiencies in New Developments
The lack of proper planning for smashan ghats in newly developed areas continues to create significant problems for residents. Most of the newly developed colonies—more than 100 in the vicinity of Madhurawada, Kommadi, and other expanding areas—completely lack designated land for conducting last rites ceremonies. More than 70 burial grounds across the city are currently facing serious encroachment issues that further reduce available space.
This infrastructure gap highlights a critical urban planning failure as Visakhapatnam continues its expansion without adequate provisions for essential community facilities. The situation underscores the need for coordinated action between various municipal departments and greater attention to fundamental civic amenities that serve residents during their most vulnerable moments.
