Cuttack, Jan. 15: The municipal corporation will use an LPG machine to cremate bodies at the Khannagar crematorium in the city.

An LPG plant installed for Rs 10 lakh at the crematorium is ready to get going.

"We will have a trial run of the plant on Monday to assess the safety aspects and then open the facility for the public," Cuttack Municipal Corporation commissioner Gyana Das told The Telegraph today.

In addition to the place for cremation with wood, the Khannagar crematorium has electric chullah for cremation. The electric crematorium will be shut down after the LPG machine becomes operational.

"We decided to shut it as its operating cost was very high with the furnace required to be kept in a pre-heated condition requiring uninterrupted power supply. But with the LPG machine, there is scope for switch on and switch off mode," Das said.

The civic body has been spending nearly Rs 1 lakh per month on electricity charges against monthly income not more than Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 with the cremation charges of Rs 250 for adult and Rs 175 for children.

"With two LPG cylinders sufficient for three cremations, it will be quite economical. Besides, cremation through this machine is not only cost effective, but also time saving, as it takes a maximum of 90 minutes," Das said.

The LPG plant will charge Rs 150 for adults and Rs 50 for children. People belonging to the below poverty line category can use the facility free of cost. Usually, people have to spend Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 on cremation with wood.

Social activist Chittaranjan Mohanty said: "Use of LPG machine would be a marked shift to an eco-friendly way of disposing of bodies. There is need for a change in the mindset of people. They should make this system a success at a time when there is shortage of wood all over the world."

The plant is eco-friendly and will not cause pollution as it uses LPG for burning bodies. The ash quantity is comparatively less and more bodies can be cremated in less space using the LPG method. The ashes of the deceased can also be collected immediately after cremation and allows all Hindu rituals to be performed during cremation.

"The corporation had earmarked Rs 1.7 crore in its budget for the 2016-17 fiscal to set up a modern, eco-friendly crematorium in the city," said deputy mayor and head of standing committee for finance Ajay Barik.