Tamil Nadu: Jayankondam residents burdened with costs, time delay as modern electric crematorium goes kaput

Due to various reasons, the facility was thrown open for public use only a full year after completion of construction i.e. in May 2021.
The electric crematorium in Jayankondam was set up at a cost of `80 lakh | Express
The electric crematorium in Jayankondam was set up at a cost of `80 lakh | Express

ARIYALUR: Already having had to endure a wait of nearly five years for a modern electric crematorium, residents of Jayankondam in the district continue to be put to hardship to cremate their departed as the incinerator has gone kaput and the facility has remained out of bounds for the public for the past three months. The electric crematorium, which was planned as early as 2017 to curb air pollution and speed up last rites, came up near the TNSTC bus depot in Jayankondam at a cost of Rs 80 lakh.

Due to various reasons, the facility was thrown open for public use only a full year after completion of construction i.e. in May 2021. While the bodies of those who died of Covid-19 were also cremated at the facility thereafter, an alleged machine failure has led to disuse of the electric crematorium since the past three months. This has forced the public in and around Jayankondam to head back to the old cremation ground to cremate the departed, increasing expenses.

Mentioning their efforts as having led to the construction of the crematorium, People Awareness Service Society founder MP Annamalai said, "Due to negligence and lack of maintenance by authorities, the crematorium has been non-functional for three months. Due to this people are forced to head back to the old cremation ground. But the facility suffers frequent manpower and firewood shortage.

Besides the cremation cost is higher than what it takes at the electric crematorium (about Rs 3,000 per cremation). There is also a time delay there." Listing out the advantages of the electric crematorium, including hassle-free procedure and lesser chances of pollution, Annamalai urged the authorities concerned to open the facility soon. S Vikram, a resident of Pudukkudi said, "An old man died of illness in our village on September 19.

We approached the municipality to have him cremated at the electric crematorium but were turned away citing the facility not being functional. We then buried him in our village. This resulted in various expenses, including those for performing rituals. The crematorium hence needs to be attended to quickly." When contacted, a senior official in Jayankondam Municipality told TNIE, "The incinerator only suffered minor fault. We are approaching various companies to repair it. We will fix it within 10 days."

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