The Mokokchung Municipal Council (MMC) has begun work on a new cemetery site adjacent to the existing Marepkong graveyard, bringing an end to a years-long search for additional burial space in the town.
The new site will be developed on two acres of ‘government-compensated’ land allocated by the district administration. Alongside the expansion, the council plans to introduce an epitaph-based burial system that will change how burials are managed in the future.
Speaking to Mokokchung Times, MMC Councillor in-charge of Graveyard and Art & Music Wabang Kichu and Deputy Chairperson Lanuakum Lemtur said the issue first emerged as a major concern in 2023.
“The story of Mokokchung town cemetery getting saturated began in 2023,” Lemtur said. “It was concerning for all civil society organizations and therefore All Ward Union Mokokchung Town (AWUMT), district administration, churches, ABAM and all came together and set up a committee under the then ADC Chumlamo Humtsoe.”
According to the officials, the committee was tasked with identifying land for a new cemetery. Villages including Ungma, Khensa, Mokokchung Village and Chuchuyimlang were approached, but none were willing to sell the land despite the government’s willingness to purchase it.
The issue remained unresolved until the election of the present municipal council, which prioritized the cemetery saturation and dumping site issue.
The breakthrough came when the district administration allocated two acres of government-compensated land adjoining the existing cemetery in Marepkong Ward.
“Fortunately, attached to the graveyard, there was a government compensated land. Earlier it was allocated to the Bharat Scouts for training but we were fortunate enough that they did not like the idea of being too close to the graveyard and hence the vacant site was available,” the officials said.
The officials said the allocation followed several meetings involving different district administrations, including former Deputy Commissioner Thsuvisie Phoji, former ADC Chumlamo Humtsoe, SDO (C) Temsuchuba, ADC Atsung Walling and the present Deputy Commissioner Ajit Kumar.
“We are very thankful to the district administration for allocating us the land,” they said.
The new site will be the fourth cemetery to serve Mokokchung town, following earlier burial grounds at New Market, Kichutip Ward and Marepkong.
Work is already underway, with the council planning to terrace the area before opening it for burials.
According to the officials, all future burials at the new site will follow a standardized epitaph system.
“The epitaph will be constructed by MMC only. The only thing is, the plaque should be provided by the owner and it will be uniform and in serial wise,” Lanuakum said.
According to the officials, the system is intended to address the growing shortage of land while also reducing the financial burden on bereaved families.
“Emotionally, we build and construct a graveyard worth lakhs and lakhs of rupees but after one year, it all turns into jungle. So economically also, it is good for the bereaved family. And most importantly, because of land issues, if we practice this, it is going to last for a very long time,” Kichu said.
The council also said they will not allow construction of individual concrete grave structures at the new site, saying such structures occupy large amounts of space and make long-term management difficult.
They also revealed that existing graveyards will be converted into epitaph-only memorial grounds in the future.
The MMC added they will only allow fresh flowers to be used instead of artificial decorations and construct a small altar where families can conduct funeral and memorial services.
While they were unable to provide an estimated cost for the project, they said the work is being carried out using the limited revenue generated by the municipal council, adding that they hope individuals and organizations will come forward to support the initiative through donations.
The initial phase of development is expected to be completed within the next one to two months.