radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
It’s supposed to be a place of rest for the dead but at the Roodal Cemetery became a place of unrest when several graves were desecrated by a contractor working on the San Fernando Waterfront project.
Some of the relatives, who had deeds to cemetery plots, said they were aghast when they came to the cemetery and saw a huge mound of dirt on the periphery of the cemetery, covering over several graves.
Philomon Stone Bassant said she wanted the San Fernando City Corporation to exhume her mother’s remains and place them on another spot on the top of the hill.
“This is an abomination. Since this construction start since March, these people have me under serious stress,” Bassant said.
She added, “I want City Hall or whoever is in charge of this to exhume my mother’s casket and put it in a safe place on top of the hill.
How could you have a drain on top of my mother’s grave. How can you do that. That is total disrespect, unacceptable and unforgivable,” she said.
She said she usually paid regular visits to the cemetery so she could speak to her dead mother.
“My mother was Sylvia Jagroop and I am always here to attend to my mother’s grave. I come here because it is important to me. I say some loving words to her. This is where her body was placed.”
Bassant said earlier this week she saw multiple graves covered over. She then complained to the corporation and the contractor started moving the dirt. By then several graves and tombstones had been scraped out and piled in a heap near some sprawling palm trees.
Kwencyd Sookram, who came to the cemetery to pay his respects, said he could not find his parent’s grave.
“I feel sad and sickened by this. You know what it is like to come here and look and can’t find your parents grave? It hurt me to know this happened. They have no consideration and no respect for people,” he said.
He explained that his mother Veronica Sookram died five years ago and Johnny Sookram, his father died two years ago at the age of 92. They were married for 65 years.
“They lived a long life and now they cannot rest,” he said.
Another relative, Camille Sookram said she was disturbed that the graves were desecrated.
“They have no consideration for people family. This is very painful. Imagine coming to see your loved ones and you can’t find them. I don’t know if these people understand, if this was their mother, father, sister or brother. This is not easy to deal wit. We come here to get peace and now when we come we don’t know if the spot is theirs.”
Officials from the San Fernando City Corporation sent a team to re-mark the plots.
Sookram was then shown the area where her parents were buried. The contractor was seen removing the pile of dirt and transporting it away on trucks.
Efforts to contact San Fernando mayor Junia Regrello proved futile up to news time. The contractor also could not be reached for comment.
