India's first inter-faith crematorium thrown open to public

Hyderabad: Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K T Rama Rao on Tuesday inaugurated India's first inter-faith crematorium in Hyderabad.

Named 'Mukti Ghat', the crematorium is spread across 6.5 acres at Fathullaguda in LB Nagar Zone, having facilities to perform the last rites of followers of three major faiths -- Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.

The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) built the funeral complex with state-of-the-art facilities at a cost of Rs 16.25 crore.

After inaugurating the funeral complex, KTR described it as a unique initiative in the country with zero-pollution concept and said that HMDA had set up an eco-friendly crematorium with fully electrical furnaces to reduce environmental pollution.

"While we are alive, we keep fighting in the name of religion, caste, region and language. We have built this place so that people can remain together in their final resting place," the Minister said. The authorities have built the modern crematorium on 2.5 acres of land, while two acres each have been allotted for a Qabarastan (Muslim graveyard) and a Christian cemetery.

The funeral complex at Mukti Ghat has electrical furnaces, landscapes for greenery and a Sewage Treatment Plant.