While the Christian community in Thane has been grappling with a severe shortage of burial space, with graves being reused for multiple funerals, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has claimed that the city has adequate cemetery provisions.
HC Pulls Up TMC Over Delay in Securing Composite Cemetery Plot
On November 28, after a petitioner complained that the TMC had failed to meet the August 2025 deadline to build boundary walls and secure a 37,000 sq. m plot reserved as a composite cemetery in the development plan, the Bombay High Court directed the corporation to file a compliance report on its earlier order to make the land ready for use.
Thane Christian Community Flags Burial Space Shortage As Bombay HC Seeks TMC Compliance Report |
The direction came during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in 2021 by Thane resident Melwyn Fernandes, who argued that the TMC, in an affidavit dated February 11, 2025, had promised to complete securing and leveling the land within six months.
Affidavit Revealed CZR Restrictions, Encroachments on Reserved Plot
In its February affidavit, the TMC informed the court that:
A section of the reserved land falls under Coastal Zone Regulation (CZR), which prohibits the construction of cemetery facilities.
Another portion has been encroached upon by slums.
Leveling work was underway on the remaining 26,500 sq. m, and fencing of the plot would be completed by August 2025.
The corporation also argued that the grievance raised in the PIL was “misconceived”, claiming that Thane already has sufficient burial space for the Christian community. It noted that these facts were placed before the court in affidavits filed in 2022 and 2023.
HC Seeks Status Update Before January 2026 Hearing
A Bombay High Court bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad observed that the petitioner had alleged non-compliance with the January 2025 order. The court has now directed the TMC to submit a detailed compliance report before the next hearing on January 9, 2026.
