Bhubaneswar, Oct. 3: The civic body plans to repair the electric chimney at the Satya Nagar crematorium in six months to reduce air pollution caused burning of logs.

The city's only electric crematorium facility has been lying defunct for several years now. The then chief minister Giridhar Gomango inaugurated the crematorium in April 13, 1999.

On an average, three to four cremations take place at the facility every day.

'The practice of using wood to cremate bodies heavily pollutes the air in and around Satya Nagar,' said a civic official. However, he did not have any answer to why the electric chimney has been lying defunct for several years.

The plan to repair the electric chimney was discussed at last month's meeting of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. The meeting also decided to start a plantation drive on the crematorium premises to reduce air pollution.

'We have distributed saplings for plantation. Tree guards have also been provided to save the saplings till they grow a little bigger,' said the municipal corporation's environment officer K. Sethi.

Environment activists welcomed the move to repair the electric chimney at Satya Nagar crematorium.

'The burning of logs during cremation creates a lot of smoke that pollutes the air. It is good that the civic body is trying to save the environment by repairing the modern equipment. Awareness should be spread among the people on the environmental benefit of electric cremation,' said environmentalist Alok Mohanty said.

The plan to modernise the crematorium was approved especially considering the fact that the civic body's new multi-storey headquarters will come up by its side.

'We have planned to have a state-of-the-art headquarters building of our own at Satya Nagar. We want to modernise the surroundings as well,' said another civic official.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said that work on modernising the Satya Nagar crematorium had already started.

'We hope to upgrade the crematorium in six months,' he said.