SC seeks green crematorium near Taj

The apex court had in the previous hearing asked the State to respond by December 14 whether the crematorium could be shifted.

The Supreme Court on Monday asked Uttar Pradesh to explore the possibility of introducing more electric furnaces at the crematorium next to the Taj Mahal and offer last rite services free of cost to save the historic monument. It was responding to the government’s stand that shifting the crematorium will hurt “religious sentiments.”

The crematorium caught the Supreme Court’s attention recently when sitting apex court judge Justice Kurian Joseph wrote to the Chief Justice of India that smoke and ash emanating from funeral pyres may cause further damage to the 17th Century monument and UNESCO World Heritage site. Justice Joseph wrote that the wind direction often played havoc and caused the smoke and ash to fly towards the Taj Mahal. This, he pointed out, was “among the major identified causes for the deterioration of the physical lustre, which ultimately may even pose a threat to the stability of the structure.”

The apex court, acting on the letter, had in the previous hearing asked the State to respond by December 14 whether the crematorium could be shifted.

The State government said there was scientific proof that smoke from the pyres had affected the Taj physically. The Advocate-General said the State administration was, however, apprehensive that shifting the centuries-old cremation site would hurt “religious sentiments.”

The court then said the government should consider using technology to reduce carbon emission from the existing electrical furnace. It could also build more such furnaces and offer free cremation services. “If you make it free, more people will opt for it. Do it for the sake of the monument,” Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur said.

At one point during the hearing, Chief Justice Thakur expressed shock when a senior government official said that there were at least four cremation services every day and “half-burnt” bodies were removed and placed on a tray to make space for others.

“We are shocked by what you are saying. Please do not disrespect the dead,” the Chief Justice warned the official.

‘Beautify areas’

The Bench, also comprising Justice C. Nagappan, asked the State government to frame a comprehensive scheme to beautify the areas around the crematorium, including landscaping, “to soften the blow dealt by the “harsh reality of life”. Justice Kurian’s letter had come up for hearing as part of a long-pending petition filed by noted environment lawyer M.C. Mehta highlighting the threat of air pollution around Agra’s grand symbol of love.