Sambalpur: Rajghat, the only electric crematorium in the city, has been lying defunct over past few weeks, reports said. This has left the residents in lurch as they are having a tough time in performing the last rites of the deceased.
Official sources said the crematorium has been lying defunct since October 26. However, no steps have been taken to repair it. This isn’t the first time the electric crematorium has gone defunct. Prior to this, it had gone out of order a number of times after it was set up in December, 2015.
The electric crematorium went kaput from October 16 to December 18 in 2017. Similarly, the crematorium went out of order from April 16 to May 1, August 3 to August 8 and September 10 to September 27 in 2018.
Even after several repairs, the snags at the electric crematorium have spread outrage. People prefer electric cremation as it costs a mere Rs 200 while the traditional way of wooden pyre costs nothing less than Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000. The demand for the electric crematorium is also growing as it is eco friendly.
“On an average 30 to 40 bodies are burnt in the electric crematorium every month,” said a staffer.
“The electric crematorium here went out of order after its coils got damaged. The coils require replacement. We will make the crematorium functional shortly,” Sudhansu Bhoi, Deputy Commissioner of Sambalpur Municipal Corporation, (SMC) said.
PNN