Those who stay away from the town and miss out on the last rites after the death of their near and dear ones will be able see the rituals online.

During the inauguration of an electric crematorium on the banks of the Churni river on Monday, Ranaghat municipality chairman Parthasarathi Chatterjee said live-streaming of last rites would be provided free of charge through the civic body’s website from later this week.

One has to apply online to avail oneself of the facility.

The municipal authorities have claimed Ranaghat is the first civic body in Bengal to offer such a service.

Ashima Sarkar, a homemaker, said: “The facility will be of great help for those who fail to turn up for the final rites of their near and dear ones.”

Chatterjee said: “We conceived the plan as we often find many relatives and family members unable to be present during the last rites of their kin because of logistical reasons. For a son or daughter staying abroad, it is often difficult to turn up for the funeral at a short notice. We just tried to cover this gap and provide them with the opportunity to pay their tributes as well.”

“Once an application is properly made, the service will be instantly activated and the user will get live video feed,” a municipal officer said.

The officer said only two persons would be able to see the live-streaming at the moment. To access the facility, one will have to upload the death certificate of the person, he said. The service will be available till the body is put into the furnace.

Chatterjee told journalists that the service would be free of cost.

“The family of the deceased will have to pay Rs 1,000 as burning ghat fee,” he added.

The new ghat has been built at a cost of Rs 1.67 crore under the state government’s Baitarani project.