Guidelines revised for burial ground at GCC council meet

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) revised the guidelines for burial grounds used by Christian community and decided to reduce the time period from 14 years to 7 years for re-opening cemeteries with coffin and bury another body there.

Without coffin, the period for reburial is now set at 12 months. Wooden coffins will have life time of 18 months.

The decision was taken because the shortage of space in Christian burial ground.

At present, Christian cemeteries in Chennai Corporation are reopened after 14 years and permission is given to bury the body of the deceased without damaging the body already buried.

The civic body authorities revised the guidelines that the ground should be dug again only if the deceased is received without coffins and buried is completed 12 months.

After 18 months of completed wooden graves and 7 years of closed metal casket burials, re-opening of Christian cemeteries and burial of the body of the newly deceased without disturbing the already buried corpse is permitted.