Digital Graves Initiative Enters Data Updating Phase, Next-Of-Kin Information

MELAKA, Feb 15 (Bernama) -- A total of 556 cemetery lots across Melaka have been identified so far, with the majority having undergone basic digitisation as an initial step in the implementation of the state's Digital Grave initiative.

State Housing, Local Government, Drainage, Climate Change and Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Rais Yasin said efforts to digitalise the graves are now entering the phase of updating and completing detailed information in stages to ensure that each record is more accurate, organised, and easily accessible to the next of kin in the future.

He said four cemetery areas in Masjid Tanah are involved in the initial implementation of the initiative, while the location in Kampung Krubong here was made a pilot project to refine the implementation method before it is expanded to other areas.

"The Digital Graves' pilot project in Kampung Krubong has shown encouraging progress, with 552 grave plots in the village identified and recorded within less than two weeks of implementation.

"From this number, about 150 plots have been fully verified, while the rest are still in the process of verification with the next of kin," he told reporters after officiating the Cemetery Land handover ceremony and the introduction of Kampung Krubong Digital Grave Land here today.

Also present were the Melaka PLAN Malaysia (Town and Country Planning Department) director Abdulhan Abd Lamit, and PB Realty (Poh Brothers Realty) director Johnathan Poh.

Rais said the initiative aims to create a comprehensive digital database encompassing locations, details of the deceased, and next-of-kin information to facilitate future searches.

“This data is not only for current use, but for the generations to come. With this digital system, accessed through an application, next of kin can identify the location of graves more easily and systematically.

"Not only that, the data can serve as a reference in determining the density of a cemetery in a particular community," he said.

In other developments, he said residents of Kampung Kerubung also received a site for a new cemetery measuring 0.4 acres (0.16 hectares), handed over by the developer to mosque authorities to meet the local needs.

He also said that the new site is expected to address the existing shortage of burial space since the area involves several housing estates and surrounding villages under the administration of the Village Development and Security Committee (JPKK).

--BERNAMA