The dead don't rest in peace here

A surprise visit shows the poor state of BBMP's crematoria & cemeteries

Heaps of burnt garbage, overgrown weeds, lack of security and no drinking water.
This was the scene at the burial grounds and crematoria maintained by the Bruhat
Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) during a surprise inspection on Tuesday.

The inspection, led by chairperson of the BBMP’s Taxation and Finance Committee, M K Gunashekar, also showed that Bengaluru has fewer crematoria and burial grounds than it needs.

There are 12 crematoria and 130 burial grounds in the city. Here is a round-up of the places visited by the BBMP team:

Wilson Garden
Rotting garbage has been set on fire in the crematorium, and there is no drinking water. A burial ground located on the same premises isn’t any better; weeds have grown on the graves. The inspection took the workers by surprise. They claimed that everything was fine and that there are no problems. Gunashekar instructed the officials concerned to set up an RO plant at the place and promised to sanction the required funds.

Kalpalli
The Kalpalli cemetery and electric crematorium at Sarvagnanagar do not have the drinking water facility either. Black smoke emanates from the crematorium as the scrubber system that acts as a filter has become dysfunctional. Gunashekar said another crematorium would be developed next to the existing one at Rs 5 crore to cater to the growing need. He further said the memorial of former President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy located at the crematorium would be upgraded at Rs 1 crore.

Yelahanka  
Spread over five acres, the burial ground in Yelahanka has no facility to speak of. It is devoid of borewells, drinking water unit, compound wall, entry gates and streetlights. On seeing that the cemetery has not been fenced and that an apartment is being constructed nearby, Gunashekar instructed the officials of Yelahanka zone to conduct a survey and submit the report.

Medi Agrahara
The crematorium at Medi Agrahara, Yelahanka, was stinking when BBMP officials and journalists entered its precincts.

Workers complained about staff shortage and that the solitary borewell doesn’t work during the summer.