The family and friends of the deceased Ravindra Bajake, 42, of Ambivli village in Kalyan, could not mourn his death in peace as the funeral was stopped midway and the family had to come home with the body when it started pouring. The reason: the crematorium, a mere stand alongside a road, did not have a shed.
This is the story of most funerals in Ambivli village in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation limits during monsoon as the lone crematorium by the roadside has no roof or shed.
Suresh Patil, 62, a relative of Bajake, said, “While the family was bidding a tearful farewell, it rained suddenly and they had to stop the rituals and return home. Later, they had to arrange fresh wood and do the rituals all over again.”
The village, which is around 30 minutes away from the Ambivli railway station, has around 4,000 families. They have this only crematorium, which the village youngsters built five years ago.
“The crematorium is located near Kalu River. The youngsters decided to build a crematorium themselves five years ago looking at the difficulties faced while carrying out the last rites of the departed. The youngsters did crowd funding and constructed the crematorium. However, the shed could not be built because of lack of funds,” said Patil.
As per the villagers, around ₹2 lakh was spent to build the crematorium that has pillars and rack to hold the body on which the cremation is done.
The locals have been following up the matter with civic authorities for funds. However, no help has reached them. The residents also claimed that there is a reserved plot for building a crematorium. However, the civic body has not built one in the village all these years.
“There is another crematorium in Atali village, which is far away. Thinking about all these ordeals, the crematorium was finalised and built. Later, during the pandemic, nobody was in a capacity to spend more for the shed,” said Pradeep Patil, another resident of the village.
KDMC officials claimed that efforts were on to develop the crematorium here.
Shashim Kedar, in-charge officer, KDMC, said, “The plot on which the residents have built a crematorium by themselves belongs to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. So, we are preparing a proposal to approach the corporation asking to handover the plot to KDMC so that we can develop the crematorium properly. The proposal is being prepared and will be sent soon.
“Also, there is another reserved plot for a crematorium nearby belonging to a builder. We will also approach the builder and acquire this plot and get a new crematorium with all facilities considering the future requirements of the village.”
