The Dhanbad Municipal Corporation has initiated the construction of an electric crematorium at the Mohalbani Ghat on the banks of the river Damodar in Bhowra area of Jharia after facing extreme difficulties in cremation due to increased deaths during pandemic and limited space in existing traditional crematoriums.

The new electric crematorium, located near a non functional crematorium of Mineral Area Development Authority, will be established at a cost of Rs 2crore and will be equipped with a scrubber and a 100 feet chimney.

“We have already issued a short expression of interest in this regard and the technical bid of the applicants will be opened on May 21,” said Anup Samanta, executive engineer of Dhanbad Municipal Corporation to The Telegraph Online.

As per the notice of expression of interest, the selected agency for the installation of crematorium will also be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the crematorium for five years.

The proposed crematorium will be equipped with a 200 KVA silent diesel generator, a 200 KVA electric transformer besides, tin shed roof etc.

Expressing happiness at DMC’s move, social activist Madhurenra Singh said, “Though we were demanding installation of electric crematorium since the beginning of the second wave of Covid at Aamjhar in Baliapur where the bodies of Covid victims are being cremated at present but we are happy that at least a move to establish crematorium has been taken, although it is not at Aamjhar and rather at Mohalbani.”

“We at the same time would also request the administration to ensure proper maintenance of crematorium as a bitter past experience of total failure of the electric crematorium of MADA which could hardly operate for less than six months after it’s establishment in 1997 due to various reasons like lesser capacity of transformer not generating required electricity,” said Singh.

“We also demand the fixing of a workable charge for the cremation as the previous charge of Rs 51 failed to manage operation costs that ultimately led to its closure,” said Singh.

According to the official figures around 345 people died due to Covid in Dhanbad but death registration figures of Dhanbad Municipal Corporation of the last four months reveal that a total of 3079 death certificates have been issued by DMC in January, February, March and April.