Pune (Maharashtra) [India], March 9 : Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishor Ram on Monday said the city's 27 crematoriums are fully functional, but the 18 that use Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) will be temporarily closed to prevent the shortage due to the "break" in supply.
The decision comes amid concerns over energy supplies amid escalated tensions in West Asia, following the killing of 86-year-old Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint military strikes by the US and Israel on Iran on February 28. The strikes also killed several senior leaders of the Islamic Republic.
In retaliation, Tehran launched counter-strikes targeting American military bases in multiple Arab countries and Israeli assets across the region. Israel, along with the US, continued its strikes on Tehran, with Tel Aviv widening the conflict to Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah and Iranian-backed militant groups.
Speaking to ANI, Ram said, "Crematorium systems have not been disturbed, or there are no breaks in this... We have around 27 crematoriums in the city, with all the facilities. LPG is used in 18 of them... Due to the break in the supply, we are discouraging the use of commercial LPG in these 18 places to prevent the shortage. But we do have other facilities."
"Certain crematoriums have a high load, while others have lesser... We will ensure that people use all the available facilities and will try to create a balance in the usage of crematoriums," he said.
Gas-based crematorium furnaces operated by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in Pune will remain temporarily closed following directions issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to prioritise propane and butane supplies for domestic LPG consumption.
According to a press release from the civic body, the ministry, under the Government of India, directed on March 5 that the available propane and butane across the country be primarily allocated for household LPG supply.
However, to ensure that citizens are not inconvenienced, the civic body has clarified that alternative cremation facilities will continue to operate. Specifically, at the Vaikunth Crematorium, the three gas-based cremation furnaces will be temporarily shut down, but five electric cremation furnaces at the facility will remain operational for public use.
The PMC also stated that electric crematoriums and systems equipped with Air Pollution Control (APC) technology will continue to function throughout the city.
The civic body urges residents to take note of these changes and to cooperate with the municipal administration during the temporary suspension of gas-based cremation services.
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