Faced with a rush and not being able to keep up with it, crematoriums in the city are reportedly taking to not just burning two or three bodies together to reduce the rush for cremation, but also throwing the ashes into storm-water drains.
At Harishchandra Ghat near Rajajinagar, west Bengaluru, two or three bodies are burnt together to reduce the huge rush for cremation, according to media reports.
Highlighting the sorry state of affairs, Padmavathi G, newly-elected councillor from Prakashnagar ward, who noticed this on Monday, told the Times of India, though one of the two electric incinerators in the crematorium became defunct a year ago, no action has been taken to address the issue.
The Times of India quoted her saying, “There is a long queue to get bodies cremated and relatives of the deceased wait for hours. Nowadays, the staff burn two or three bodies together keeping one on top of another to clear the rush. Why is there a delay in installing another incinerator?“
The furnace at Hebbal crematorium is also not working for the past eight months, councillors told Mayor BN Manjunatha Reddy .
Reacting to this, Manjunatha Reddy asked the officials to look into the matter.
He said, “It is inhuman to burn three bodies together and dump ashes and bones into the drain. You (officials) should not have waited for any approval in this matter. Crematoriums in Bengaluru must be improved as soon as possible.“
The newspaper quoted KS Krishnaswamy, Chief Engineer, West Zone, as saying, “The previous furnace had worn out long ago. We have just tendered for a new one at an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore. We have been waiting for the BBMP commissioner's approval.“