Govinda Dhamam, the city’s first gas-fired crematorium being run by Mahaprasthana Seva Samithi, a wing of the Rotary Club of Tirupati, has been rendering yeoman service during the current COVID-19 situation.
Its scorecard for the period July 2019-June 2020 is impressive: 1,270 cremations, funeral rites for 111 abandoned bodies, body freezer assistance for 192 bodies and 525 service memorial meets for the departed.
The newly elected body comprising Vemuri Jayaram Prasad as president and Adam Sudhakar Reddy as secretary was formally sworn in on Wednesday to administer the samithi, which has activities beyond running the crematorium.
Govinda Dhamam honorary president Tenkayala Damodaram administered the oath to the members and Rotary Club President M. Hemachander introduced the new panel to the public.
In view of the infection factor, civic administrators as well as hospital authorities prefer this gas-fired crematorium for COVID patients and Govinda Dhamam has been in the forefront in hygienic and total disposal of such bodies. Outgoing President M.N. Sivakumar explained how the organisation achieved a breakthrough by computerisation and automation in the maintenance of accounts.
Green agenda
The new members distributed vegetables to the ‘Maa Telugu Thalli’ senior citizens’ home and distributed automatic sanitiser dispenser. Workers employed in the crematorium were presented PPE kits.
Taking the eco-friendly route, it was decided to distribute saplings to visitors and also jute bags to carry the ashes.
