Model Crematorium: City sets example of communal harmony

Hyderabad: For the first time in India, the Telangana State government has come up with a Model Crematorium named 'Mukti Ghat', with state-of-the-art facilities for performing last rites for Hindus, Muslims and Christians, at one place, which is setting an exemplar for communal harmony in the City.

The first-of-its-kind crematorium with advanced facilities worth Rs 16.25 crore is built by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), is situated on a land of 6.5 acres at Fathullaguda in L B Nagar, which previously was a GHMC construction and demolition waste dump yard.

According to HMDA, it is a unique initiative in the country and a series of environmental conservation measures have also been adopted while developing the facility. "The crematorium is eco-friendly, equipped with electrical furnaces installed to reduce environmental pollution based on a zero-pollution concept," said an officer at HMDA.

Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K T Rama Rao on Tuesday will be inaugurating the crematorium. Following Telangana's vision to promote communal harmony, the Model Crematorium is built in a ratio of 2.5:2:2 acres, on a total area of 6.5 acres, wherein 2 acres of the land is assigned for a Qabrastan (for Muslims), 2 acres for a Christian cemetery and 2.5 acres for Mukti Ghat (for Hindus).

"HMDA also developed a 140KW capacity solar power plant to generate solar power to meet 90 per cent of the power requirement for electric cremation furnaces and other utilities for a sustainable development. Also, a Sewage Treatment Plant with a capacity of 50 kilolitres per-day is installed to treat and reuse the sewage to maintain the landscape," the officer added and said that all the three crematoriums are furnished with a dedicated office room, cold storage facility, prayer hall, guard room, toilet block and are provided with last journey vehicles along with parking spaces. "The last rites can live-streamed for those who cannot be present at the spot physically," the officer stated.

A separate building is also built at the Mukti Ghat for Apara Karma Bhavan, for Hindus to perform the 10th day rituals. Moreover, for Muslims and Christians, the land has been developed along with the conventional burial ground, in three layers, which would accommodate over 550 bodies in each crematorium.