Kerala gearing up to switch over to eco-friendly gas crematoriums

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government is gearing up to switch over to gas-operated crematoriums in place of the existing electric-powered ones in public areas, as they are eco-friendly and cost-effective.

According to official sources, the operation of electric-powered crematoriums has become very expensive as the power consumption is high and uninterrupted power supply is inevitable for it to keep the furnace pre-heated to burn the bodies.

At the same time, the ecofriendly gas crematoriums are not only cost-effective and time-saving but also smoke and smell-free, they said.

Suchitwa Mission, the state nodal agency for sanitation, is entrusted with the designing and technical support for the construction of Lpg-powered crematoriums at the local selfgovernment level.

On the implementation of the project, Suchitwa Mission Director (Operations) C V Joy said the gas crematorium project would be implemented with the support of Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), the state government’s special purpose vehicle. A total of Rs 110 crore was sanctioned by the government for the initiative, he said.

“We are planning to set up gas crematoriums in places where the respective local selfgovernment institutions find place for the same,” Joy said.

“We have already finalised 15 locations in this regard.

We hope the facility can be set up in at least 200 locations in civic bodies under the prescribed budget,” he said.

Detailing the design of the new crematorium, the official said their objective is to create a place which does not feel like a conventional crematorium.

“The design will be varied according to the availability of the place.. If we get adequate space, we are planning to include car parking area, airconditioned resting room for the relatives of the deceased, special zone for rituals to perform and landscaping besides the furnace,” he said.

A beautiful garden is planned adjacent to all such new crematoriums, he added.

Dwelling on the cost involved in setting up the crematoriums, Joy said, around Rs 60 lakh to Rs 1.50 crore is required for the construction of each gas crematorium with the above mentioned facilities.

To get a suitable place is the most challenging task in setting up crematoriums in the state, he said adding that the changing concept of crematoriums is expected to reduce the opposition from locals. “Though electric crematoriums are common now-a-days, it is not at feasible to operate in the present circumstance..

Interruption of power supply and voltage fluctuation are making its operation difficult in many places.,” he said. BHUBANESWAR: Union minister and senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan has said he is ready to fight the electoral battle from Odisha in 2019, but it is for the party to decide whether he will contest the Lok Sabha or state Assembly election.

Pradhan, a Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar, is often challenged by the leaders of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the ruling party in Odisha, to contest the election from his home state, where Assembly polls are due in 2019.

“I will definitely contest the next election, due in 2019, from Odisha,” the Petroleum Minister told mediapersons on the sidelines of a function here yesterday.

He slammed the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government in the state for shattering the hopes and aspirations of the youth.

Claiming that the people of Odisha were fed up with the “misrule” and “inefficiency” of the BJD, Pradhan said they had made up their mind to usher in a political change in the state.

“The people of Odisha want a change and to oust the BJD government...no one can stop it from happening,” he said.

Pradhan has been a Rajya Sabha member from Bihar since 2012. The BJP leader, who was elevated to the rank of a cabinet minister and given the additional charge of Skill Development in the Union ministry reshuffle last month, had not contested the 2014 polls.