Sri Vijaya Puram, May 14: CPI (M) has strongly opposed the construction of a Shopping Complex at the public graveyard at Anarkali. On hearing the news which appeared in the social media, a delegation of CPI (M) comprising D. Ayyappan, State Secretary, D. Laxman Rao, State Secretariat Member, NKP Nair and R. Surendran Pillai, Port Blair City Area Committee Members visited the proposed construction site at the Anarkali public graveyard on 13th May, 2025. After the visit, D. Ayyappan, Secretary sent a letter to the Chief Secretary, Andaman & Nicobar Administration on the issue. In the letter, CPI (M) Secretary termed the proposed construction of shopping complex at the public graveyard land an instance of grave misuse of power by the Sri Vijaya Puram Municipal Council. CPI (M) noticed that the Municipal Council has diverted a portion of the public graveyard land into commercial land and started construction of the shopping complex.
CPI (M) leaders found that the Municipal Council has started construction of the shopping complex on the northern end of the public graveyard without any approval from the A & N Administration which had allotted the land for the public graveyard decades back. CPI (M) Secretary told the Chief Secretary that slope cutting at the site of construction will further lead to landslide and soil erosion in the area which will continue to pose a threat to the new construction and nearby areas. CPI (M) noted that crores of rupees are going to be spent for this illegal construction by the Municipal Council from the funds available under the Smart City project.
CPI (M) observed that there is no residential house near to the proposed shopping complex and there was no demand from any quarter for construction of such a public facility at this particular place. CPI (M) Secretary informed the Chief Secretary that the space in the Anarkali public graveyard is very less with the authorities allowing people to construct tomb at the grave. With the increase in the population, space to bury the dead bodies in the said public graveyard at Anarkali is shrinking. CPI (M) Secretary stated in the letter that instead of making available sufficient space for burial of dead bodies, the civic body has diverted the available space in the said public graveyard for construction of shopping complex. Strongly opposing this move on the part of the Municipal Council, CPI (M) demanded that the construction work which has just begun should be stopped immediately.
CPI (M) Secretary further informed the Chief Secretary that the Municipal Council has utterly failed to maintain the Anarkali public graveyard properly as the people face difficulties to find suitable place in the graveyard to bury the dead bodies. Ayyappan urged the Chief Secretary to issue suitable instructions to the Sri Vijaya Puram Municipal Council to stop the construction of shopping complex at the public graveyard at Anarkali and keep the entire graveyard land only for the purpose of burial of dead bodies.