Crematorium upsets locals

Residents complain of foul smell; say civic body has ignored their problems

A huge burial ground at Rajivnagar colony in LB Nagar is causing disquiet to thousands of residents of the locality who say it is affecting their health and hygiene. The locals have asked the GHMC and the revenue department to stop cremations here and find another site. The three-acre plot has been in use for the past 20 years.

The residents have submitted a petition to the Greater Hyderbad Municipal Corporation petition committee and have also approached D. Rajeswara Rao, the member of the Legislative Assembly.

L. Anirudh, who lives nearby, said, “This is one of the biggest of 600 burial grounds in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy district and every week two or three bodies are buried or burnt here. A foul smell pollutes the entire environment. The roads and lanes are littered with remains of the death processions. The processions often last for more than an hour, creating traffic jams and residents are fed up of the drum beats.”

Another resident, Kavitha Mukherjee, said, “We understand it is a sad moment for the family, but we are being disturbed almost every day. Now we have stopped taking the route towards the burial ground and take a longer way. The area is also crowded and scores of vehicles attending the cremation occupy the lanes.”

Mr Rajeswara Rao says the layout of the threeacre ground was prepared way back in 1974.

When contacted, M.T. Krishna Babu, commis- sioner of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation , said that reports submitted by the tahsildar show that the ground belongs to the state government. The funeral activities have been taking place since 20 years and the colonies have developed around it over time.

He said the petition committee of the corporation and the revenue department will conduct an inspection of the site in the coming weeks and also suggest different sites.