Bhubaneswar: The electric furnace at Satyanagar crematorium here has been out of order for four days causing huge convenience to people. At a time, when the number of fatalities due to COVID-19 is rising, the non-functional crematorium is adding to woes of the people in the capital city.
The furnace had developed some problems April 13 and since then the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities have been waiting for mechanics from Kolkata to arrive and repair it.
Last year when COVID-19 was at its peak, the crematorium was always crowded with bodies of those deceased. At an average, four to five families are turning up here at present only to be turned back. Among them are persons who have died due to COVID-19.
The huge spike in COVID-19 cases means the number of fatalities will also increase manifold. In this scenario, it is imperative that the crematorium becomes functional quickly.
“We have to keep the facility ready to meet any exigency. Or else, the common people will suffer,” said people in the know of things.
The Satyanagar crematorium has two furnaces out of which one runs on electricity. In the other one, cremation is done with fire wood. One has to spend Rs 2,500 if they opt for the fire wood version. On the other hand only Rs 350 is charged for using the electric furnace.
To cremate the dead bodies, the BMC has engaged two persons on contractual basis. Similarly, to run the facility and do office work, there are four employees at the crematorium. Now with the electric furnace not working, people are being forced to shell out more money to cremate their loved ones.
When asked, assistant executive engineer (Electricity department), BMC, Sukant Kumar Sabat admitted that the electric furnace has been non-operational since April 13. “The shutter is not working. Mechanics from Kolkata have been called to repair the shutter. The furnace will be made operational soon,” he said.
PNN