ERODE: In a first of a kind in the state, Central Rotary Club has introduced a mobile crematorium in Erode. This service has been intended to benefit villagers.VK Rajamanikam, Secretary of Aathma Trust, functioning under the Erode Central Rotary Club, said, “City Corporation along with Erode Central Rotary Club is providing a crematorium service on the bank of Cauvery River in Karungalpalayam for the past 14 years. However, families from the villages have to spend around Rs 15,000 including the crematorium fee of Rs 3,500 for cremating a body. This fee will be increased to Rs 4,500 from this January. However, this is a huge sum for the people from villages. So, we decided to provide electric cremation service to these people and a mobile crematorium has been introduced.”
“We bought the machine for this from Kerala and the ambulance vehicle, cremator, generator and all other necessary items cost Rs 25 lakh. The service is intended for villages. We will park the mobile crematorium vehicle in the village and will cremate the body at a cost of Rs 7,500. As of now, the process takes two hours and we are trying to reduce the time,” he said.
“A toll-free number has been introduced for the mobile crematorium. We are also planning to expand this service across the state in collaboration with the government,” he added.Sivakumar, Commissioner of Erode Corporation, said, “This program is available in other states in India. However, it is the first time in Tamil Nadu a mobile crematorium is being introduced.”