Stone laid for modern crematorium in Hyderabad

Secunderabad: Death & beauty together? It is not uncommon anymore. Beautiful crematoria will dot the city, with the GHMC taking steps to make the final journey of souls amid pleasant interiors and exteriors amid sprawling greenery. Denizens would soon get to experience sobet yet uplifting sights at graveyards which are set for renovation and modernisation. Modern aesthetic architecture is being set to the sober occasion to make it comfortable for the kin of deceased. They get ample time and space to connect with their dear departed ones.

Ministers Ch Malla Reddy and Talasani Srinivas Yadav on Wednesday laid a foundation stone for a model 'Vaikunta Damam' graveyard at Dhaniyala Gutta, Begumpet. This Hindu crematorium will be coming up at a cost of Rs 4.6 crore.

Member of Parliament A Revanth Reddy, MLC K Naveen Rao, MLA Madhavaram Krishna Rao and local corporators participated in the programme. Later, Malla Reddy and Srinivas Yadav inaugurated nala-widening works at Fatehnagar and at Dhanalaxmi Colony, laid foundation stone for a sports complex in Balajinagar and a park in Manjeera Mall.

According to officials, the modern crematorium will comprise an administrative block, ceremonial hall, wood storage, 'pinda pradhan' area, waiting hall near cremation, electric gasifier, last ritual yard, feature walls. With the entire facilities, it will be ready shortly. The primary objective of model crematorium is to break the chain of cremations which is becoming a costly affair. As such, in the past seven months, hundreds of bodies were left in dump yards, as people could not afford the last rites. 'We want to change this situation', said a GHMC engineer engaged in the project.

The model crematoria will have most needed compound wall, parking area, besides all other modern amenities. Any religion person can use the crematorium. The GHMC is also trying to ensure grave space for all religions is sufficient, he added.

It may be mentioned here that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was impressed by the development of 'Mahaprasthanam' at Jubilee Hills and directed the GHMC to modernise graveyards by providing improved facilities and aesthetic look and protection from encroachments by constructing compound walls.

As per the government directions, the GHMC decided to modernise crematoria and graveyards, few of them with its own funds, while others as part of the corporate social responsibility (CSR). Currently the civic body is developing 38 crematoria. Among them 31 are listed for development and 14 for conversion to model graveyards. A few of them have been completed while others are under progress.