Undertakers take back control of graveyards

The Belize City Council has lost a battle with one of the city’s well known undertakers.  Back in January, City council decided to take over undertaking services from the private companies engaged in the business. Well David Coye, the most established undertaker, sought judicial review of City Hall’s decision to bar private undertakers from constructing graves, and installing tombstones amongst other services at the Lord Ridge and Eternal Garden cemeteries. There were public complaints and images of the shoddy work undertaken by City Hall. Coye vowed to fight the battle as many individuals preferred his services and many families felt more comfortable with him during their times of grief. Well Coye won. The judge ordered that, “The claim stands withdrawn with no order as to costs on condition that the claimant/applicant is and continues at liberty to continue to provide funeral services at the Lord Ridge and Eternal Garden cemeteries in the normal course of his business including undertaking construction and/or installing common graves, enclosed graves, reopening of graves, vaults/mausoleums and erecting tombstones.” All be told, is that city hall will not be engaged in the business of burying the dead.