Cuttack, Sept. 4: Almost a year after the municipal corporation prepared a plan to renovate crematoriums in the city, work has finally started on the one at Khannagar.

It is for the first time that the Cuttack civic body has come up with a comprehensive plan to develop all the eight crematoriums in the city that have been crying for attention for the past seven years. In the first phase, the civic body has decided to renovate three crematoriums by March or April. The corporation has also roped in a charitable organisation to develop the infrastructure in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode.

Senior civic officials said that an organisation called We Care had been entrusted with the job to develop basic infrastructure, including construction of proper sitting arrangements, pathways and drinking water and other facilities at the crematoriums.

"Work has already started at Khannagar, one of the oldest crematoriums, and we hope that people coming here for the last rites of their loved ones do not face any problems," said municipal commissioner Gyana Das. The social organisation has been asked to make necessary modifications as per requirement to improve the existing infrastructure at Khannagar crematorium, Das said.

"We are installing granite tiles in pillars, pathways as well as coming up with proper sitting arrangements and locker facilities at Khannagar. It is the first crematorium to have such basic amenities in the city," said We Care managing trustee Narayan Kumar.

Official sources said that iron grills would be installed to ensure minimum use of firewood. The administration will spend Rs 10 lakh towards renovating the Khannagar crematorium, which will also have proper rest sheds and lighting arrangements.

Earlier, people used to face difficulties in conducting the funerals particularly at night, as they had to depend on torches due to absence of proper lighting here. "Once the renovation at Khannagar is complete, work would begin at Sati Choura and Kaliabuda," Kumar said.

Civic officials said free electricity connection and security personnel would be deployed at each crematorium to put a check on anti-social activities at such places.

There are also plans to convert the existing electrical crematorium at Khannagar established in 1985 into a CNG or LPG based furnace. The civic body is now spending nearly Rs 2 lakh towards electricity charges per month for proper maintenance of the electric furnace here.