Thiruvananthapuram: The city Corporation is planning to replace the pyres at Santhikavadam and Puthen Kotta with gas fired furnaces. However to implement the plan at Puthen Kotta, it will have to take over the crematorium grounds there, owned by two Brahmin communities – Ramavarma Grama Samudayam and Madhwa Tulu Brahmana Samajam.
If the pyres are replaced by gas furnaces, the air pollution would be reduced, giving some respite to the families that live right next to the cremation grounds. “Those houses came up within the past decade, and are illegal constructions.
The ones on the road have always been there,” says R Suresh, President, Ramavarma Grama Samudayam. He is also the Fort’s councillor. Santhikavadam has only one electric furnace. In Puthen Kotta, coconut husks are used in the cremation pits. Development Standing Committee Chairperson Vanchiyoor P Babu says that they have sought Rs 3.72 crores for the crematorium project from the Additional Plan Assistance set aside by the state government for local bodies.
The Corporation has presented the idea to G S Kalkura, the President of the Madhwa Tulu Brahmana Samajam. “They are saying we need to
surrender our land. The idea needs to be presented to the governing body,
and discussed before it can be taken forward,” says Kalkura.
The Tulu community’s plot beside the Karamana River is over 5 cents of land. A flight of stairs leads to the Samudayam’s plot which is less than an acre. There are eight pyres used by the Hindu community. According to the residents here, at least one pyre is burning daily.
The Corporation has not yet discussed the plan with Ramavarma Grama Samudayam. Suresh says, “More than a decade ago, there was a suggestion in the masterplan to upgrade all community crematoria, providing technical support. However it did not say anything about the Corporation taking over the facilities.”
According to the 2013 Draft Master Plan, the Corporation has crematoria in 15 wards.
