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Gas-based crematorium installed at Navagraha

By Staff reporter

GUWAHATI, April 8 � A long-felt need of the city has been met with the installation of a gas-based crematorium at Navagraha.

Said to be the first LPG-based crematorium in the North-east, it was formally handed over to the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) on April 4, and is ready for commissioning.

Its design and installation was completed by M/s Ankur Appliances, Lamb Road, Guwahati, a national award-winning small-scale industry unit which had earlier successfully installed the �Olympic Torch� at the main stadium during the 33rd National Games held in Guwahati.

�LPG-based cremation is both cost-effective and environment-friendly. Only flue gas will be allowed to emit from a 15-metre-high chimney and all ash content while the burning will be treated with water scrubbing system,� RK Barthakur of Ankur Appliances said.

The cost of cremation per body with commercial cylinder will be approximately Rs. 2,300 against the corresponding cost with firewood at Rs. 3,500-Rs.4,000.

�LPG consumption per cremation will be around 15 to 20 kg. Fifty commercial cylinders supplied by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd have been installed in the system. Five electronically operated burners are required to operate the incinerator,� Barthakur said.

Barthakur said that gas-based cremation would also save time as it would require only two hours for a cremation against three-four hours for cremation with firewood.

The incinerator covers an area of 1,125 feet (length 45, breadth 25 feet), while the gas chamber covers an area of 10-ft length, 5-ft breadth and 6- ft height. It requires 440V/5 kW power to run the system and to operate the Italy-made automatic electronic burners.

The maximum operating temperature for the cremation chamber is 800+/-50 degree centigrade, while that for the secondary chamber is 1050+/-50 degree centigrade.

Barthakur said that Ankur Appliances had already installed such LPG-based cremation technology in Kerala in collaboration with a Cochin-based firm.

�A GMDA team visited one such project in Kerala with �Smashan bandhu� the late Dhruba Prasad Chaliha who guided us right from the beginning for setting up a similar project in Guwahati,� Barthakur said.

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