Ilsur Metshin: “The new cemetery should be built taking into account all Orthodox and Muslim norms”

(KZN.RU, May 31, Ksenia Shvetsova). The main construction works on a new funeral complex of Kazan on the border with the Pestrechinsky region is planned to be completed by the end of June. After that, the work on improvement, site planning and construction of religious buildings will continue on the territory of the two cemeteries, Orthodox and Muslim ones. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, inspected the course of construction. He noted that the funeral complex should be built taking into account all religious canons and instructed to involve in the evaluation of the work done by representatives of the clergy.

The need to build a new complex is due to the fact that today almost all municipal cemeteries are overcrowded. The total area of the future funeral complex is 77.76 hectares according to the project. It will function for about half a century. The main alley of the complex will divide it into two cemeteries. An Orthodox area is 38.56 hectares and a Muslim one is 35.65 hectares. In total, 148500 people will be put on the territory of the complex. There will be about 77130 spots in the Orthodox cemetery and 71370 spots in the Muslim cemetery.

It is planned to build cult buildings on the territory of the funeral complex: a church will be erected in the Orthodox cemetery, and a mosque in the Muslim one. In addition, each cemetery will have special canopies for farewell. At the end of the main alley, a rotunda with a dome will appear. A separate zone was allocated for the construction of a guest parking lot for 398 cars, 13 are provided for people with disabilities.

Iskander Giniyatullin, the deputy head of the Kazan Executive Committee, said that 65% of the main volume of work has already been accomplished. “The main works will be completed in accordance with the contract on June 31. These are such works as the construction of administrative and economic buildings, sorting, asphalt paving and facing of entrance groups”, said I. Giniyatullin.

According to Marat Ishkin, the head of the Department for the Organization of Ritual Services, the work is currently underway to create an electronic scheme for the cemetery, which will include data on each burial site. “We are carrying out this work together with the Department of Information Technology. Today the scheme is in the final stage. This was no grave will get lost. If there are burial places for 2200 people in one sector, then we need to find any grave in any sector at any time”, said M. Ishkin.

The works are carried out according to the approved project. But additional financing is required to continue the construction of the funeral complex, which would meet all standards and was comfortable for operation, according to Sergey Izmailov, the general director of the contract organization “Avl-Stroy”.

Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, noted that the funeral complex should be built taking into account all religious norms and meet the highest requirements for such objects. “Considering that we are building a cemetery for the next 50 years, everything must be done at the level corresponding to the status of our republic, the capital. We need to study the best experience of building such facilities”, said the Mayor. “It is absolutely necessary to build a cemetery with all the canons of Orthodoxy and Muslim, to get opinions how to organize everything correctly”. He also noted the need to work out in advance the operation of the cemetery, in particular, its transport accessibility.

I. Metshin instructed to develop and in the near future provide a register of all the work and the required additional funds in order to continue the construction of the funeral complex at the highest level.

Denis Kalinkin, the head of the Kazan Executive Committee, also attended the on-site meeting.