Crematorium near Palar sparks debate in Ambur
Officials claim site is a patta land, locals fear facility may face flood threat
The crematorium under construction on banks of Palar
TIRUPATTUR: The construction of a Rs 1.50-crore crematorium, said to be the first of its kind in Ambur in A Kaspa area, on the banks of the Palar has raised questions about its stability at times of floods.
The contract for the crematorium construction under the Kalaignar Urban Development Scheme for 2021-22 was awarded to a private contractor on December 14, 2021. Though the deadline to complete the facility was fixed as December 31, 2022, still work was under way.
According to former Ambur town Congress president and former area councillor Suresh Babu, “the crematorium is being constructed on the banks of the Palar and the site is sure to face flood threat during the monsoon.”
Asked where bodies were cremated earlier, he said, “there is a burial ground a short distance away which is still in use. It is safe to build the crematorium in the same site. RTI queries revealed that it is on a government poromboke land (darkas land in local parlance).”
“When former Collector Amar Kushwaha inspected the site, he called for the sketch of the facility which officials were not able to produce immediately and after that it was forgotten,” said a local resident.
Collector D Baskara Pandian said, “The district has several burial/cremation ground-related issues. Be it absence of such facilities or the non-availability of pathway to reach them. As this is a sensitive issue, we are dealing with them on a case by case basis.”
Regarding the under-construction crematorium, he said, “It has not come to my notice. The PWD is only building a sewage treatment plant in the area on a site provided by the railways. However, if the construction is on the river it will have to be removed as a High Court order specifically prohibits constructions in such locations.”
However, a senior Ambur municipal official claimed, “The construction is on a portion of a 3.75-acre patta land purchased by the local body. The remaining area is being used to build a sewage treatment plant (STP). The truth can be verified any time.”