Post News Network
Puri, Feb 26: Not many people are open to the idea of cremating their loved ones inside a closed crematorium and still prefer doing it the traditional way, if the records at the modern crematorium set up at Swargadwar here are anything to go by.
The modern crematorium was set up following a directive from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which was concerned at the high number of bodies being cremated in the open at Swargadwar, leading to high pollution. Only 600 bodies were cremated inside the modern crematorium out of 1,961 bodies brought to Swargadwar in the last one-and-a-half months. The NGT had ordered the Orissa State Pollution Control Board and Puri municipality to build a crematorium with a chimney in order to release the smoke at a high altitude, thus helping curb pollution.
Cremation at Swargadwar is believed to lead to ‘moksha’, and around 45 bodies on an average are cremated here daily.
The SPCB provided `70lakh for the crematorium and was launched January 13. The crematorium is fitted with a 20metre high chimney, which is helping to release the smoke at high altitude.
“Swargadwar is a holy place. Cremations have been taking place here in the open for decades and doing it inside a crematorium would hurt our sentiments,” said Bishnu Charan Sahu, who had come here to participate in the last rites of a relative.
“It is very difficult to stand inside the blazing hot crematorium, and more logs are needed,” Prasanna Kumar Padhi from Ganjam said. Tuna Behera, a municipal employee, who is in-charge of the crematorium, said he tried his best to convince people of the merits of the modern crematorium but failed.
