Bengaluru: A cemetery meant to offer a quiet, dignified space for mourning is today hemmed in by debris, unauthorised street vendors, and garbage transfer activity, leaving visitors struggling to access the premises. The Indian Christian Cemetery Trust (ICCT), off Hosur Road near Langford Town, says it has been receiving complaints from churches about the untidy surroundings and the inconvenience faced by people visiting the cemetery.A left turn off Hosur Road leading to the cemetery gate is lined with vendors occupying footpaths on both sides of the road. According to trust officials, the vendors are unauthorised and have refused to relocate despite repeated requests.A little further ahead, heaps of debris dumped along the cemetery compound have narrowed the road, making it difficult for vehicles to pass and park. Visitors are often forced to leave their vehicles some distance away and walk to the entrance.“People visiting the cemetery, especially relatives of the deceased, are forced to park their vehicles far away and walk to the cemetery. We’ve also received complaints from churches,” the cemetery supervisor told TOI.He also recalled an incident in which smoke from burning garbage disturbed a nearby beehive, causing bees to swarm and sting a priest, who had to be admitted to hospital. “The garbage collection vehicles have been here for over a year and a half. Before this, they used to carry out the transfer activity close to a nearby playground,” he added.The trust official said the cemetery records 5-6 burials a day, making unobstructed access essential for hearse vans. “Movement of hearse vans in and out of the cemetery has also become a challenge as there is garbage near the gates,” he said.Around a dozen auto-tippers collecting domestic waste from across Shantinagar ward gather at the location to transfer waste into larger compactors, which then transport it to the landfill. Solid waste workers at the spot said they were shifted there from an earlier location after officials of a nearby mosque objected to garbage transfer operations being carried out near its premises.With debris, vendors and waste transfer activity crowding the approach road, visitors and cemetery officials say the site is steadily losing the peace and dignity expected of a place of burial.The cemetery extends across about 24 acres, apart from a few smaller portions separated by roads in the surrounding area. According to ICCT members, it was established during the British era in the 1870s and is also the final resting place of several soldiers who died in the two World Wars.Around a dozen auto-tippers gather near the cemetery to transfer waste into larger compactors, which then transport it to the landfill. Workers say they have been relocated from an earlier spot after officials of a mosque objected to garbage transfer activity carried out near its premises
