No space to burn pyres, but Amritsar residents apprehensive about electric cremation

Charanjit Singh Teja

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 29

As the city recorded the highest Covid-19 deaths (in a single day) in the state on Thursday, residents are still unwilling to cremate the deceased on electric crematorium or LPG furnaces.

There are two major cremation grounds in the city, where on an average, 25 to 30 persons are cremated every day. After the second wave of Covid-19, the number of cremations rose to 50. However, the Shivpuri cremation ground near Durgiana Temple is equipped with electric as well as LPG furnace for the cremation of dead but residents don’t opt for these modes of cremation.

The office-bearers of Durgiana temple committee said the electric furnace was initiated around 40 years ago and the project failed due to technical issues. Then, LPG furnace was established a few years ago at a cost of Rs25 lakh and all provisions were made for the last rites. But the mode of cremation didn’t get popular among residents. They still prefer cremating the dead on traditional pyres.

After the rise in the deaths due to Covid-19, cremation grounds faced a major challenge of space. Both cremation grounds have more than 75 pyre plinths in each, but as per Hindu-Sikh tradition, the remains of the dead are collected after cremation. Meanwhile, the Durgiana temple committee is constructing 12 more pads.

“We don’t have space for new plinths, so the electric crematorium would be demolished to get space for the new ones. The electric and LPG crematorium are not successful as even after offering free cremation no one is willing to use LPG furnaces. Even the administration don’t cremate Covid-19 patients in LPG furnace, so it is a wastage of resources to set up a furnace,” said Rajesh Sharma, president of Durgiana temple committee.

MC for CNG-based crematoriums

The Municipal Corporation Amritsar (MCA) has proposed to install CNG-based crematorium and develop the shamshan ghats as per the direction of the National Green Tribunal under the National Clean Air Programme of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF). In a proposal sent to the state government for approval on March 26, the MCA would spend Rs2.5 crore on this project. However, without changing the mindset of people about the last rites, there is no scope of adoption of any alternative for traditional pyre.

‘Admn should also go for LPG furnace’

As per the tradition, the body requires 9.5 mann (around 4 quintal) wood for cremation. The committees of cremation grounds charges Rs1,300 for cremation of one body, which includes “fatta” (bed) and logs. Rajesh Sharma, president of Durgiana temple committee, claimed that the price of wooden logs has increased from Rs290 per quintal to Rs350 per quintal. “The government should provide logs to cremation grounds for Covid-19 deaths or ask the administration to adopt LPG cremation, which costs free.”