Tiruchi Corporation outsources upkeep of Karumandapam crematorium

The Tiruchi Corporation has roped in a private agency for the maintenance and operation of the crematorium at Karumandapam.

A Tiruchi-based agency has been awarded the contract of the maintenance and operation of the crematorium, and has been permitted to collect ₹2,500 per cremation and pay ₹100 from this to the Corporation.

Under the initiative, the private agency would be responsible for the maintenance and repair of machinery, including cremation chambers, furnace, pollution control device, and chimney. The agency would appoint four persons to run the facility.

A senior official said that the civic body would regularly inspect the crematoriums to ensure that they were maintained properly.

The crematorium at Karumandapam serves the residents of Viswas Nagar and other neighbourhoods in the city. At least five bodies are cremated daily at the facility, which was opened in 2009.

Officials said shortage of manpower at the crematoriums had led to the idea of privatising them. Following complaints that the workers demanded an additional ₹1,000 from the public, the operators had been warned against such a practice.

At present, gas-fired crematoriums function at Oyamari, Konakkarai, Ambedkar, Panjapur, Karumandapam, and Ariyamangalam. The maintenance of crematoriums at Konakkarai, Ambedkar, Panjapur, and Ariyamangalam had been outsourced and ₹2,500 was charged per cremation.

Similarly, a private agency had been awarded the maintenance and operation contract for the crematorium at Oyamari. However, following opposition from the councillors, the contract had been put on hold. According to sources, on an average, between 12 and 15 bodies are cremated at the facility in Oyamari daily.