Sarai Kale Khan funeral facility to get an upgrade

New Delhi: The pandemic may change the face of city crematoria. South Delhi Municipal Corporation is planning to develop the Sarai Kale Khan crematorium as the central modern cremation facility of the national capital with the largest number of funeral pyre platforms.
A corporation official said that due to the increase in the number of deaths in the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the funeral capacity of crematora is being expanded.Currently, the one at Nigambodh Ghat has the maximum capacity in the city. Earlier, the Sarai Kale Khan one was mostly used for unclaimed bodies.
The Sarai Kale Khan ground is spread over 3,000 sqm and temporary pyres have been set up in a 1,000 sqm space behind the building. “We will combine the two sites and develop a modern crematorium with 150 funeral pyres for traditional wood-based cremations and 10 CNG furnaces,” a SDMC official said.
There are around 40 crematoria under SDMC. “There are hardly six or seven sites in city with funeral capacity of over 50,” the officer said. “Nigambodh crematorium is the largest facility in the city where 120 traditional platforms and six CNG finances are currently operational. Punjabi Bagh is the 2nd largest with 71 traditional pyre platforms and 4 CNG furnaces. In East Delhi, Seemapuri crematorium has the most capacity. However, after the revamp, the Sarai Kale Khan one will surpass all the other ones.”
Nigambodh Ghat is spread over 4,000 sqm, while the Pujabi Bagh site is spread over 2,000 sq m area. An official said that they are already communicating with DDA to execute the expansion plan. “An approach road from Sarai Kale Khan Shamshan Ghat to the main road will be developed. The site is hardly 1-2 kms away from the Yamuna,” official added.
Meanwhile, social activists have highlighted the poor current state of the crematorium, with one of the two electric furnaces on the site currently lying dysfunctional.
Sunil Kumar Aledia from Center for Holistic development, who has been helping families with cremations of Covid victims, said that the load on the other CNG furnace has increases, leading to long queues and waiting time. “Immediate repair should be carried out and the Bela road facility should also be operationalised,” he added.