Mayor bans death

2005-12-13 21:30

Brazil - There's no more room to bury the dead, they can't be cremated and laws forbid a new cemetery.

So, the mayor has proposed an intriguing solution: outlaw death.

Mayor Roberto Pereira da Silva's proposal to the town council warns that "infractors will be held responsible for their acts" and asks residents to "take good care of your health in order not to die".

The bill, which states no penalty for passing away, is meant to protest about federal decrees that have barred a new or expanded cemetery in Biritiba Mirim, a town of 28 000 people 70km east of Sao Paulo.

Gilson Soares de Campos, an aide to the mayor, said: "Of course, the bill is laughable, unconstitutional, and will never be approved.

"But can you think of a better marketing strategy... to persuade the government to modify the environmental legislation that is barring us from building a new cemetery?"

A 2003 decree by Brazil's national environment council bars new or expanded cemeteries in so-called permanent preservation areas or in areas with high water tables.

Environment-protection measures also rule out cremation.

The federal decree left no option for Biritiba Mirim, a town on the so-called "green belt" of rich farmland that supplies fruits and vegetables for Sao Paulo, Brazil's biggest city.

At least 20 towns within 100km of Biritiba Mirim have a similar dilemma, said De Campos, although no other has ordered its citizens not to die.

Other towns also have drawn national attention with unusual laws.

A few years ago, a mayor in Parana state banned the sale of condoms, arguing that his town needed to increase its population to keep qualifying for federal aid. Pharmacies ignored the ban.

- SAPA