To promote eco-friendly measures, the BMC has decided to foot gas bills of private Hindu crematoriums in the city. The civic body has taken a policy decision to turn all crematoriums in the city to CNG or PNG crematoriums, as it is cleaner, eco-friendly and cheaper.
According to the civic officials, using wood to burn bodies adds to deforestation. Moreover, the residents living in the vicinity of the crematoriums have complained that the smoke generated due to burning of wood pollutes the air and causes respiratory problems. The CNG or PNG crematoriums will be effective in reducing the air pollution.
The standing committee on Wednesday cleared a proposal to reimburse gas supply bills of three private Hindu crematoriums — Ghatkopar (east) `3.50 lakh, Mulund (west) `7 lakh and Banganga `3.50 lakh.
According to civic officials, the BMC spends `2,000 per funeral in the private crematoriums on firewood. However, the use of CNG will drastically bring down this expenditure to `630 per funeral.
A senior civic official said, “The private crematoriums should fulfil certain conditions to avail free gas supply. The trust running the private Hindu crematoriums should install and maintain gas pyres on their own. There should be a separate gas connection for the pyre.”
There are a total of 182 crematoriums in the city, of which 125 belong to the civic body, while 46 are private.