Crematorium not in this life?

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 20

The proposed state-of-the-art cremation ground near the Gumtala bypass has been in limbo since a community opposes its location near its religious site. A religious body moved the court over an year ago and the case has been sub judice since then.

Residents want the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) to get the matter settled out of the court to proceed with the project.

A city resident, Harvinder Singh Sandhu, says two prominent cremation grounds at Chattiwind Gate and Hathi Gate are situated close to Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh Shaheed and Durgiana Temple, respectively. Both sites have become highly congested due to the continuous flow of traffic, rampant encroachment and heavy rush. The city requires a sophisticated cremation ground with enough open space to park vehicles, he says.

Another city resident, Kamal Dalmia, said, “The site is in the AIT’s own scheme (Ranjit Avenue). The crematorium was to be constructed on two acres at the cost of Rs 1 crore, but with the passage of time, the inflationary trend is likely to escalate the cost.”

AIT Superintending Engineer Rajiv Sekhri said, “The project has been standstill since the matter became sub judice.”