The thick smoke from the funeral pyres in the municipality-run crematorium at Karuvadikkupam has become a major cause of concern among residents.
Though a ₹1-crore modern incinerator was set up at the crematorium in 2006, the furnace is under maintenance on most days for “inexplicable” reasons, leaving the mourners with no option but to go in for traditional cremation of their dear ones.
According to local administration officials, even if the incinerator worked, some people preferred traditional cremation for religious reasons. “Whatever may be the reason, we are made to suffer. On any given day, there are two or three cremations and the entire area is full of smoke,” said Shivamani, a resident of Bishmar Street at Kennedy Garden. He said the worst affected areas were Kennedy Garden, Samipillaithottam and Bharathi Nagar.
ADVERTISEMENT
School nearby
A teacher of a private school, located a few metres away, said although on most occasions the cremation was done in the evening, on certain occasions, it was done during morning hours. Students complain of nausea due to the smoke from the pyre, the teacher said.
S. Kala, a resident of Kennedy Garden who runs a shop at Karuvadikuppam, said that people, especially children and the elderly, complain of frequent cough. “Sometimes, for several hours on end, the entire area will be full of smoke. It is suffocating for elderly people,” she said.
ADVERTISEMENT
D. Kumaravel of Bishmar Street said the issue had been brought to the notice of the municipal authorities concerned but nothing had changed. Smoke enveloped even the main road sometimes during evening hours, he said.
R. Baghya Lakshmi of Abhimanyu Street sought to know the purpose behind installing an incinerator after spending a huge amount if it was not put to use daily.
‘Fixed fee’
The Oulgaret Municipality had fixed a fee of ₹2,000 for the electric cremation but there are complaints about that vettiyans (undertakers) at the ground charged more for traditional cremation.
S. Jaisankar, in-charge of the crematorium, said following complaints of fleecing, the municipality had fixed ₹3,500 as fee for traditional cremation. “Now, the incinerator is working. The repair works were completed four months ago and after that there have been no complaints,” he said.
The municipality has put up a board with rates for both types of cremation. The problem, he said, was that barring people from the Ashram and French citizens, most people preferred the traditional cremation. “We get complaints about pollution in the area. But people are not ready to shed their traditional beliefs,” he said.