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Upgrade Mount Vernon Columbarium instead

Having grown up along the former Bidadari Cemetery and the Mount Vernon Columbarium, I used to think I would just “cross over” to the other side of the road when my time is up.

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Liew Kai Khiun

Having grown up along the former Bidadari Cemetery and the Mount Vernon Columbarium, I used to think I would just “cross over” to the other side of the road when my time is up.

Many residents who have grown attached to these premises probably share my sentiments. Sadly, with the plans to redevelop the area for residential needs, this may no longer be possible.

Ironically, while I mourn the impending loss of one columbarium and cemetery, prospective residents are angered by the prospects of a new columbarium. (“Columbarium news irks future residents of Sengkang flats”; Jan 5)

Nonetheless, I acknowledge their worries, from religious and cultural taboos to more earthly concerns of congestion during the month-long Qing Ming Festival.

Would it not be a win-win situation for the Mount Vernon Columbarium to be retained as a funeral hub, instead of building a new site somewhere else?

Since the present premises became operational in 1983, they have been a familiar place, where funeral parlours also operate in a quiet and dignified multi-religious environment.

While the Garden of Remembrance, comprising graves of significant historical personalities from the former Bidadari Cemetery, as well as the iconic Oriental-style pagoda, can be conserved, the rest of the site can be rebuilt to house new facilities.

The forested area at the Muslim segment along Bartley and Mount Vernon roads, which is also a sanctuary for migratory birds and local wildlife, can be preserved too, as a buffer between an upgraded columbarium and future residential areas.

Between the uncertainties of introducing a columbarium to a new neighbourhood and upgrading an existing site that has sat comfortably on Mount Vernon Road for decades, familiarity is the better option.

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