A commercial house that was supposed to be a residential building was converted into a columbarium without permission, and some floors "may have more dead people than living people".
What should we do in this situation? How can we tell if our neighbors live in "people"?
The source in this article comes from the official media [Guangming Network Surging News], but in order to improve the readability of the article, the details may be polished, please read sensibly, for reference only!
My neighbors are not people
Mr. Zhao from Nantong, Jiangsu Province, was the victim of the columbarium, and after an accident, he found out that his neighbor was ashes, and since then, he has been exhausted. The thought of having to face a cold mourning hall when entering and leaving the house in the future made him feel even more terrified.
Mr. Zhao tried to report this situation to the property, hoping to get some help and support. However, the property's response disappointed him.
Property staff said that the use of the property after the owner purchased the property is not within their jurisdiction. They have no right to interfere as long as it does not affect the normal life of other residents.
Moreover, this phenomenon of "columbarium" is not unique in the whole community or even the whole city, and if every resident comes to complain, they are powerless to deal with it.
Although Mr. Zhao knows that the property is reasonable, he is a neighbor with ashes every day, and his little heart really can't stand it.
Can accept the neighbor is the ashes
Can you accept that your neighbor is ashes? Faced with this problem, residents of the community generally said that the theory of ghosts and gods is not credible, but if one's neighbor is ashes, it is indeed uncomfortable.
Having to face such a special "neighbor" when going out every day always makes people feel inexplicably depressed and uneasy. Some people even feel "unclean", believing that their living space is being invaded by an indescribable yin aura.
This psychological suggestion will undoubtedly affect their daily mood and quality of life.
Of course, not everyone is frightened or upset by this phenomenon.
Some residents also said that they did not have any special feelings about the "columbarium", after all, life and death are fate, and everyone will have that day.
They are also worried that these columbariums, which have been uninhabited for a long time, may become a safety hazard.
During the holidays, when the family of the deceased comes to pay respects, if the burning of paper and lighting candles are not handled properly, it is likely to cause a fire, and then the safety of the entire residential area will be endangered.
And these "columbariums" may also become the target of thieves because they are unoccupied, lack of management, or become a hiding place for some criminals, all of which may threaten the owners who live here.
Many people have suggested that the relevant departments should strengthen the management and supervision of such houses and conduct regular safety inspections to ensure the safety of residents' lives and property.
In addition to this, some residents are also concerned that the existence of "columbariums" may affect the value of their properties. In the eyes of many people, it is difficult for a residential area with poor "feng shui" to attract potential buyers, which invisibly affects the overall reputation and development prospects of the community.
The problem behind the columbarium
In many large cities, with the increasing scarcity of land resources, the price of cemeteries is showing a rapid upward trend. An ordinary cemetery can easily cost hundreds of thousands of yuan, which is a heavy burden for many ordinary families.
Even the middle class, which has a certain economic base, will have a certain economic pressure to buy a cemetery all at once. In addition to the high purchase costs, the cemetery also has to pay long-term management and maintenance costs, which is undoubtedly worse.
What's even more frustrating is that even if the cemetery is bought, they don't have a long life. According to the relevant regulations, the service life of cemeteries is generally about 20 years, or even less.
This means that after 20 years, families may need to re-purchase the cemetery or relocate their loved one's ashes elsewhere. This kind of "rented-style" burial method is unacceptable to many people.
Faced with high cemetery prices and many restrictions, many families have no choice but to set their sights on "columbariums". Compared to traditional cemeteries, the "columbarium" has several distinct advantages.
The first is that the price is relatively low. The price of a "columbarium" may be half or less of the price of a cemetery. This is undoubtedly a more affordable option for many families with limited financial means.
Secondly, the "columbarium" has a longer service life. As a commercial property, the "columbarium" can be used for 70 years or more. This means that families can let their loved ones rest in peace for a long time without worrying about the duration of use.
In addition, the "columbarium" can also provide a more private and solemn memorial environment. Compared with densely populated cemeteries, family members can hold simple and solemn memorial ceremonies in the "columbarium" without outside interference.
This is undoubtedly an important consideration for families who value privacy and want to provide a quiet, dignified resting place for their loved ones.
Columbarium management is difficult
Although the columbarium met the requirements of the family to bury them, it hurt the owners of the community who were also neighbors.
As the problem of "columbarium" became more and more prominent, more and more owners began to express their dissatisfaction with it. In the face of complaints and protests from property owners, the developers and properties of the community are even more inadequate.
From the developer's point of view, they simply do not have the right to demand the nature of the property owner's purchase.
On the one hand, when the developer sells, the buyer usually does not take the initiative to inform them that the house is of a "columbarium" nature.
Even if the developer finds out that the owner is using the house as a "columbarium" after handing over the house, they cannot force the owner to rectify it.
The sale and purchase contract has been formed and the owner has full right to dispose of the house. If the developer intervenes rashly, it not only lacks legal basis, but may also face complaints and lawsuits from the owner.
Property companies are also facing a tricky situation. When receiving complaints from other owners, the property is duty-bound to act as a "fire captain", but in reality it is helpless.
They do not have the right to enter the owner's house for inspection, let alone ask the owner to remove the ashes. Even for the sake of safeguarding the overall interests of the community, it is difficult for the property to take effective management measures for the "columbarium".
Under the pressure of dissatisfaction with property owners, some developers and properties have also tried to take some corrective measures, but the results are often very limited.
They either strengthen publicity and call on owners to be civilized and law-abiding; or strengthen inspections to discourage and stop violations in a timely manner.
However, these measures often address the symptoms rather than the root causes, and cannot solve the root cause of the "columbarium" problem.
Implement a variety of burial methods
The emergence of columbarium reflects the high cost and difficulty of modern burial.
In fact, in addition to the traditional burial and cremation burial methods, a variety of new environmentally friendly burial models have emerged in modern society, providing people with a greener and more humanized choice.
These include tree burial, lawn burial, sea burial, biodegradable burial, sky burial, body donation and other methods. These burial methods can not only reduce the impact on the environment, but also greatly reduce the cost of burial and reduce the financial burden for the family.
Tree burial is the burial of ashes around the root system of the tree, and the ashes provide nourishment to the tree, allowing the deceased to become one with nature.
Compared with traditional cemeteries, tree burials do not require the purchase of expensive cemeteries and tombstones, and only one tree needs to be selected, which is very cheap.
Lawn burial is to bury the ashes shallowly under the green lawn, without any markings on the ground, this method occupies a small area, does not require complex maintenance, and the cost is also very low.
Sea burial is the throwing of remains or ashes into the deep sea, which is much lower than traditional burial methods, without the need to buy a cemetery, and only pay for boat rentals and urns.
There are many ways to bury in modern society, and people can choose the most appropriate way to express their grief and commemorate the deceased according to their economic conditions, wishes and other factors.
Give the house back
The problem encountered by Mr. Zhao is not unique, and in order to completely solve the problem of the columbarium, the relevant departments have also taken a series of practical measures.
The National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and other departments should pay close attention to formulating and promulgating measures for the management of funeral service fees, and clarify the charging items, standards and management requirements for all aspects of funeral services.
Local price authorities at all levels should refer to state regulations, reasonably approve the charging standards for cemeteries and funeral services in their respective regions, and resolutely ban all kinds of unreasonable charging items.
It is necessary to establish a system for publicizing the fees charged for funeral services, and all the items and standards of fees charged must be made public and consciously subject to the supervision of the masses.
Departments such as for industry and commerce, prices, and civil affairs should strengthen coordination and cooperation, and adopt methods such as "double random" spot checks, unannounced visits, and secret inspections, focusing on inspecting whether funeral service enterprises have illegal pricing, bundling and tying, false publicity, forced consumption, and other violations of laws and regulations in the process of sales and services.
Those who are found to have violated laws and regulations should be severely punished in accordance with laws and regulations, and those whose circumstances are serious must resolutely revoke their business licenses, and they will never be soft-hearted.
It is necessary to give full play to the role of industry associations, promote the establishment of mechanisms for creditworthiness evaluation and withdrawal, and carry out joint disciplinary action against seriously untrustworthy enterprises, so that they pay a heavy price.
Formulate standards for the evaluation of the quality of funeral services, establish a management system covering the whole process of sales and service, increase the intensity of daily supervision and random spot checks, and standardize the order of market operations.
It is necessary to distinguish between different groups and provide differentiated funeral services and guarantees in a targeted manner.
For the urban and rural masses in difficulty, it is necessary to formulate preferential reduction and exemption policies to reduce the cost of funeral services.
Encourage localities with the capacity to provide free funeral-related services to people in need.
For the masses in rural areas, it is necessary to support and guide them to adopt land-saving ecological burial methods through measures such as substituting awards for subsidies.
On the one hand, the government has increased the construction and supply of relevant facilities, and on the other hand, it has promoted a new type of ecological burial and guided the masses to establish a new concept of funeral. Only then can the problem of columbarium be fundamentally solved.
bibliography
Guangming.com "Neighbors" are not living people? "Columbariums" appear in many communities
Beijing News: There are many "columbariums" in many places, and some buildings may "have more dead people than living people"
The Paper In many places, individuals buy commercial houses and place urns, and reporters investigate the phenomenon of "columbarium".