Delhi HC issues notice on PIL seeking direction to repair non-functional electric crematoriums

The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to Delhi Government and Municipal Corporations in a Public Interest Litigation seeking direction to immediately repair and rectify the non-functional electric crematoriums with the installation of more numbers of electric crematoriums in Delhi.

The bench of Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh on Friday sought response from all respondents and slated the matter for July 27 for further hearing.

The petitioner, Sunil Kumar Aledia (Social Activist) through Advocate Kamlesh Kumar Mishra also seeks direction to Government of NCT of Delhi as well to the civic agencies operating in the different areas of Delhi to place on their respective websites a list of all the crematoriums/burial grounds in their respective areas so as to make the same available with the general public.

The plea also seeks direction to the Registrar General of India (Births and Deaths) to issue direction with regard to Online/ e-Registration of the Deaths as also of births in the country.

The petition states that the huge number of deaths which are occurring in Delhi and also owing to the environmental concerns and so also to ensure that people and gatherings at the crematoriums are brought to the lowest minimal, more number of electric crematoriums need to be installed and those which need repair shall immediately be repaired.

The situation with the electric crematorium at Sarai Kale Khan where out of the two electric furnaces available only one is functioning. While the normal wooden pyre takes about 12 hours to fully decompose while the electric crematorium takes about 3 hours for one body.

Therefore given the huge number of dead bodies and waiting in the crematorium people would naturally opt for the electric crematorium.

Also as per the prevalent Hindu practices, one has to collect the "ashes" of the body to be immersed in the water body which in the case of wooden pyre will have to be done in next morning and in the case of electric cremation can be done after 3 hours which saves the visit of people to the same place, again and again, plea states.

The plea also seeks direction to the respondents to ensure that the non-functional electric crematoriums at Sarai Kale Khan and Bela Road made functional as soon as possible.

( With inputs from ANI )

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