With the rising number of COVID-19 deaths in recent days, the Local Administration Department is planning to set up a second gas-based crematorium at Karuvadikuppam cremation ground shortly.
The LAD would soon float a tender inviting people with technical know how to convert the defunct electrical incinerator at Karuvadikuppam into a gas based furnace to cremate bodies of COVID-19 victims in Puducherry region.
The department was solely dependent on the gas-based furnace to cremate the bodies. “Its too much strain on the existing gas-based crematorium when we have more number of deaths as it happened a few days ago. On Sunday for instance, there were seven deaths and the machine has to be operated continuously. So we are planning to convert the defunct electrical crematorium into a gas-based one,” said a civic body official.
The modification work would cost around ₹20 lakh, the official added.
From June 10 to August 11, as many as 74 bodies of COVID-19 patients have been cremated at the gas-based incinerator at Karuvadikuppam.
As for other forms of funeral, there are around 20 burial and graveyards in the town limit itself, the official added.
The Union Territory has, so far, recorded 96 COVID-19 deaths.
