Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) run furnaces at the crematoriums in Dwarka and Subhash Nagar are going to be reality soon as Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has decided to provide financial assistance to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).
A senior SDMC official said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed soon with PFC in this regard. "The two new CNG crematoriums will help in controlling pollution as 600 to 900 conventional cremations using firewood are held in the national Capital every day," he said.
"The Use of wood for burning bodies at various crematoriums is not only hazardous to the environment but it also involves a huge quantity of wood. The process is also directly linked to deforestation. With CNG operated crematoriums, many related issues can also be controlled," the official said.
The project had been mentioned repeatedly in SDMC Budgets but could not come on ground due to the lack of funds. There are only two operational CNG crematoriums in Delhi. One is in west Delhi (Punjabi Bagh) and another at Nigambodh ghat in North Delhi.
A corporation official also said that CNG-based cremation is generally not preferred by public. "People are still interested in conducting last rites in traditional way," he said.
National Green Tribunal had pulled off authorities several times to reduce air pollution but still no such initiative to dispose bodies in eco-friendly manner came up in Delhi in the last two years.