CMC tightens grip on illegal burials

The Clarendon Municipal Corporation (CMC) is ramping up enforcement against unauthorised burials across the parish.

Church burial grounds, family plots, and community cemeteries are coming under increased scrutiny as the corporation seeks greater compliance with its approval process.

Chief Executive Officer Rowhan Blake said the move follows reports of burials taking place without the required applications being submitted.

“All burials must be approved by the corporation,” Blake said during this month’s meeting of the CMC’s Public Health Committee.

According to Blake, corporation approval must be supported by a recommendation from the public health department, while enforcement officers have been instructed to monitor sites and prevent unauthorised interments.

Particular attention is being directed at the Halse Hall cemetery in south-eastern Clarendon.

“No burial that takes place at that location is approved by the corporation,” Blake said.

He added that enforcement personnel have been tasked with clamping down on activity at the site, while the road and works department has been asked to assist in monitoring the area.

As part of the crackdown, the corporation is considering posting notices at burial sites, similar to those used for building approvals, to make it easier to identify authorised burials and detect potential breaches.

Public Health Committee Chairman Councillor Winston Maragh suggested that the corporation contact the property’s listed owners, noting that the property taxes are up to date.

The crackdown comes amid efforts by the corporation to strengthen compliance with laws governing burial grounds, including the Public Cemetery Management and Regulation Act and the Burial Within Towns’ Limits Act.

The CMC’s published procedures set out the documentation, fees, and notice requirements for home burials and burials outside public cemeteries.

Blake said the municipality is also intensifying engagement with churches, including congregations outside the parish’s ministers’ fraternal, a network of pastors, and church leaders.

Smaller zonal meetings are being planned, with churches in the Spalding area among those targeted.

Even so, Blake said there are signs of improvement, with some church-operated burial grounds now submitting applications before burials are carried out.

Councillor Delroy Dawson urged residents to follow the established process, arguing that the corporation must maintain oversight of burials across the parish.

“I encourage everybody in my division I represent to go through the right channel, because as a parish, we need to know what is happening,” Dawson said.

“We have to set a standard where everybody must comply.”

Dawson added that residents who previously bypassed the process should be encouraged to submit the necessary applications.

To strengthen oversight, Blake also proposed that councillors be provided with lists of burial applications, allowing them to flag cases where burials may have taken place without approval.

Under the corporation’s guidelines, home burials require an application fee of $2,500, while burials outside public cemeteries attract a fee of $7,500. Applications must be submitted at least five clear business days before grave digging to allow for inspection by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

olivia.brown@gleanerjm.com