Restore electric crematorium

Visakhapatnam: The city has no eco-friendly electric crematorium machines despite having 60 burial grounds. Even though the local bodies along with Port Trust was doing plantation to develop green belt around the cemetery, the city is lacks eco-friendly electric crematorium facility leaving no other option to denizens than to go for open cremation bypassing the suggestion of National Green Tribunal (NGT). 

The NGT has expressed serious concern over the issue related to open cremation, but the administration has been failed to create awareness among citizens about the usage of electric crematorium machines.

As per the NGT, cremation of human body remains by traditional method involving wood has serious impact on the environment as the forest cover is sacrificed and obnoxious gases emanated from burning of human mortal remains pollute the air.

An electric crematorium had been set up years ago at Gnanapuram cremation ground near Convent Junction, but that never functioned. Hence, the bodies are mostly being cremated in open.  The cremation ground (Kailash Bhoomi) in the city at Gnanapuram receives about 200 bodies a month alone, said a worker at cemetery.

A municipal corporation employee at the cremation ground said, “The electric crematorium has remained defunct for the last 10-15 years. The electric one was also unable to incinerate the bodies completely. Moreover, people prefer traditional method of burying the body than burning it in electric crematorium.”  Kailash Bhoomi in-charge said that about 250-300 kg of wood is required for cremating a human body.

Meanwhile some traders, trespassers and locals lamented that due to open cremation of human bodies causing respiratory issues among them. City-based environmentalists urged the civic body to focus on such issues that affect environment. While the GVMC officials say there was a plan to restore the existing electric crematorium, but it was postponed due to unknown reasons.