BENGALURU: Residents of Mahadevapura, KR Puram and surroundings are forced to shuttle to either Kudlu in Bommanahalli or Jeevanahalli Kalpalli in East Bengaluru to cremate their loved ones, as both furnaces at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) crematorium at Panathur need repairs.
Residents and activists say the BBMP and local leaders did not take up repairs after one of the furnaces stopped functioning during the second wave of Covid, after the electric coil broke down. Now, due to heavy dependency, the coil of the second furnace too broke into pieces eight days ago.
According to Babu Gowda, Block Congress president, Marathahalli, the crematorium issue was first reported during the Covid second wave. “One furnace stopped working. Villagers of Varthur, Bellandur, Panathur and surroundings kept appealing for it to be fixed, but nothing happened. Last week, the other furnace also stopped working. Families which are unaware of the issue, bring the bodies of their loved ones and are then forced to go to other crematoriums,” said Gowda.
Confirming this, Kanakaraj, a worker at the crematorium here, said that both furnaces had electric coil breakage issues, and the doors were also damaged. “The crematorium usually gets two to five bodies, and families were told to take the bodies to crematoriums in Bommanahalli and East Zone,” said Kanakaraj.
Meanwhile, superintendent of the electrical engineering department said the Palike has 12 crematoria. A glitch was found at Panathur in Mahadevapura, Mediagrahara in Yelahanka and Hebbal, and problems are being fixed at the earliest.
“The Hebbal crematorium had a problem with the chimney, and it was fixed. Now there is a problem at Mediagrahara and Panathur. The one at Panathur will start functioning soon after the fixed coil generates heat of 550 degree Celsius. The tender process for Mediagrahara is complete, and a new coil at the 30-metre chimney will be fixed at the earliest,” said Anand, superintendent engineer, BBMP electrical department.