Poor maintenance of Thathaneri crematorium causes discomfort to public

The unhygienic environs of Thathaneri crematorium in Madurai cause discomfort to the people, who visit the place to perform the last rites of their relatives. As the electric crematorium has been remaining shut for more than three months owing to maintenance, the open crematorium is in use for the public. 

The unhygienic environs of Thathaneri crematorium in Madurai cause discomfort to the people, who visit the place to perform the last rites of their relatives.

As the electric crematorium has been remaining shut for more than three months owing to maintenance, the open crematorium is in use for the public. Unmindful of the impact of their act, the public and some Madurai Corporation workers dump waste on the premises, alleged local residents.

“As the premises do not have an intact compound wall, people, who have no purpose to enter, use it for drinking and chatting through the day,” said L. Gynanasundaram, a resident of Bakkiyanathapuram.

“Many times, Corporation vehicles silently dump garbage on the crematorium premises when there is no human activity during late hours, ” he alleged.

When they were told to remove the waste, they just set fire to the garbage, he said.

“As our house is located just behind the crematorium, we cannot bear the bad odour getting out while burning waste. As the burning is done mostly at night, we struggle to sleep amidst the foul smell,” he noted.

In addition to this, as the mortal remains were burned on the stages in the open crematorium, the pungent smell emanating from there also got into the houses in the vicinity, Mr. Gynanasundaram said.