Patna high court seeks detailed reply on electric crematoriums across Bihar

PATNA: The Patna high court on Friday directed the urban development and housing department ( UDHD ) principal secretary to submit a detailed counter-affidavit within two weeks’ time apprising it about the total number of electric crematoriums installed across the state and as to how many of them are functional or lying defunct.

The division bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Anil Kumar Upadhyay also directed the principal secretary to reply as to what amount of money had been allocated by the state government for establishing or repairing of such crematoriums till now.

The court has also directed him to reply on action taken for repairing old crematoriums and installing new one across state.

The bench was hearing two PILs, which were filed by Mukesh Ranjan of Vaishali and Vikash Chandra alias Guddu Baba of Patna in February last year and April this year respectively.

Ranjan had urged the high court to direct concerned officers to make functional a defunct electric crematorium at Konhara Ghat at Hajipur in Vaishali besides establishing one in every district especially on banks of Ganga. Chandra’s PIL is for restarting all electric crematoriums across Bihar which were lying defunct, including three in Patna. Ranjan was represented by counsel Shashi Shekhar Tiwari while Chandra appeared in person.

During Friday’s hearing, Chandra apprised the court that the state government had sanctioned funds for establishing electric crematorium at Mokama in Patna, Bhagalpur and Munger in 2017 only, but they were yet to be constructed for use by public.

During hearing the matter on November 26, a division bench headed by the Chief Justice had expressed its view that government must make an endeavour for establishing at least one electric crematorium in each one of the important cremation ghats in state and not only those which are alongside river Ganga.

On July 14, 2014, while hearing another writ petition, a division bench of Patna high court had observed that state government may establish one electric crematorium in every district headquarter for ensuring pollution-less disposal of dead body.

The division bench of Chief Justice Karol and Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh had taken notice of old order too while hearing the matter on November 18 this year and had directed UDHD principal secretary to file an affidavit with respect to action taken till now on basis of high court’s five-year-old observation.