Scouting in a Graveyard

Scouting in a Graveyard

CHENNAI: The scouts from VOC Scout Group of ICF (Integral Coach Factory)  gathered on Sunday to clean the area surrounding the Velankadu Crematorium at Anna Nagar.

 “We have never done anything like this. We have been involved in several clean up drives in the city, but this is the first time we are venturing into a burial ground. It must be the first for any scout group,” said Shiva Raj, project director of VOC Scout Group.

The Corporation burial ground which was taken over by the NGO ICWO (Indian Community Welfare Organisation), has tied up with the scouts group.

Apart from organising regular clean-up drives on the site, the group plans to spread awareness among people in the neighbourhood by conducting door-to-door campaigns and distributing pamphlets. The group is also focusing on how to reduce anti-social activities on the site. “We are told that the site is prone to criminal activity at night. If there is a regular presence of our boys, it will bring down such cases,” said Tamil Selvam, group lead of the VOC Scout Group.

Around 150-200 bodies are buried every month in the ground and the crematorium beyond.

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