Bhubaneswar: People would no longer witness their loved ones going up in smoke on conventional funeral pyre at Satya Nagar crematorium, with the authorities deciding to discontinue the practice soon.
Sources said the decision came in the backdrop of a 12-storey signature building proposed by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on the four-acre land near the crematorium here.
This was revealed by members of 10 standing committees who participated in a meeting held here recently to finalise the blueprint of the civic body’s mega structure. The members suggested that the civic body and Smart City CEO should discontinue the conventional way of cremation and carry it out on Daya riverbed instead to reduce pollution.
Expressing concern over the thick smoke coupled with ashes rising from the traditional funeral pyre, the members said the occupants of the building and those visiting the ultra-modern structure would face a tough time as blowing winds would bring the ashes into the building. Besides, burning of wood releases a large volume of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and adds to the rising air pollution. Thus, the public at large, who takes in the contaminated air, would suffer in the long run. Above all, open air cremation also destroys the aesthetic sense of the area, they stressed.
Sources close to BMC said the existing electric furnace would continue to serve the public, while the conventional fire-wood system would be offered on Daya riverbed, on the outskirts of the city.
Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said they would implement the proposal after a thorough analysis of its impact. “Proposal of the standing committees will be implemented keeping in mind that no poor (person) suffers in any manner. Steps will be taken to ensure the riverbed remains pollution-free after initiation of cremation there,” Jena added. In a bid to reduce the pollution by the smoke from the electric furnace here, the authorities have decided to increase the height of the smokestack at the Satya Nagar crematorium.
The construction of the Rs 70 crore mega building is expected to begin by January 2018, while plans are afoot to ready the structure within 2.5 years. The first three floors of the building would house the civic body’s office, while the fourth floor would be dedicated to mayor’s office and grievance redressal desk. Similarly, the fifth and sixth floor would house the Smart City control room, while the remaining floors would be reserved for future projects, sources at the civic body said.
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