BMC’s M-East Ward authorities have decided to add another layer of soil in the Deonar cemetery over already buried bodies to create additional space for more, effectively placing them one on top of the other. “This will increase the height so that we don’t have to remove any bodies to make space. There will be a double layer to accommodate another body,” said Dr Sanjay Phundre, Medical Officer of Health at M (East) Ward.

However, the decision will need the consent of the locals. For this, a public notice will be issued and circulated, calling for any objections or suggestions regarding the move. The decision comes after it was found in June that bodies at the Rafi Nagar graveyard were not decomposing even 18 months after the burial. Soon, it was revealed that a similar problem has been occurring at the another graveyard in Deonar.