BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to hike the cremation charges at its crematoriums in the city.
Officials in the revenue wing of the civic body said a proposal to this effect was taken up in the corporation meeting on Monday. The proposal has been approved, paving way for likely revision of the rates in the near future.
Currently, the civic body charges Rs 2,000 per body for gas-based cremation. However, considering the prevailing market prices of PNG and LPG, the civic body has planned to revise cremation charges at different crematoriums. Under the proposal, each cremation at the Dharma Vihar and Aiginia crematoriums will cost Rs 3,000, including Rs 200 towards operation and maintenance (O&M) charges.
At the Satyanagar and Jalimunda crematoriums, the proposed cremation fee will be around Rs 4,500 per cremation, including Rs 200 towards O&M. For cremations carried out using firewood, BMC has planned to collect Rs 3,000 per body, including Rs 500 towards O&M charges.
The corporation has also proposed that the O&M charges collected at each crematorium be managed through a dedicated bank account.
Meanwhile, the BMC has proposed charges for cremation of small animals at its newly-opened gas-based pet crematorium in Palasuni area. As per the proposal, the total cost of cremating a small animal will be around Rs 3,045 per cremation.
Private pet owners will be charged Rs 1,000, while the remaining Rs 2,045 will be borne by BMC from its own funds. For small animals brought through the city health officer, BMC, the entire cremation cost of Rs 3,045 will be borne by the civic body.
The corporation meeting also decided to procure around 200 battery-operated vehicles to strengthen sanitation and door-to-door waste collection in the city. The vehicles will be used after the old vehicles having low-fuel efficiency are phased out from the existing fleet of 475 vehicles.
During the meeting, mayor Sulochana Das asked BMC officials to ensure prompt repair of defunct street light. The civic body also discussed allocating `5 lakh to each ward for road repair and maintenance ahead of the upcoming festive season.
Crackdown on illegal and oversized hoardings
The civic body has decided to remove illegally-installed hoardings and those exceeding 40 feet in height. The mayor said the stretch from AG Square through Lok Seva Bhavan to Housing Board Square will also be developed as a ‘No Hoarding Zone’.
