Pune: No water for cremation of kin of deputy collector, corporator

On Sunday, when the relatives and friends of both the deceased turned up for the cremation rituals, initially they could get water from the hand pump installed at the cremation. “A little while later, when more water was required, the hand pump ran dry and huge water tank installed at the crematorium had already run dry,” said Jayant Kariya, a resident.

Some of the mourners then rushed out of the crematorium and could locate water in a tank near a public toilet. “We had no option, but to fetch water wherever it was available,” said another mourner.

Corporator Lande said, “We were already in shock and this happened. I called up the water department officials and have pulled them up. Though the area does not fall under my jurisdiction, I had already been in discussion with PCMC officials for improvement of the facilities at the crematorium,” he said, adding that next week things would be fixed.

PCMC executive engineer S Barshetty said, “The work of crematorium facilities is actually looked after by the civil works department…I will alert them.”

When contacted, PCMC standing committee chairperson Seema Savale said, “The water tank might not have been filled as there was a technical problem at the water pumping station…As for the hand pump running dry, I will find out what went wrong,” she said, adding that it was a serious matter. Civic activists said all the crematoriums in Pimpri-Chinchwad are in bad shape. “Facilities are pathetic and there is stink all over…They are never kept in proper condition. It has been going on for years now. It happened under the NCP rule and now even under the BJP rule,” said activist D G Baliga.

Meanwhile, paying tributes to Vasant Dhumal, Jayshre Marale, retired civic school principal, said, “It was because of Dhumal that the educational awareness actually spread in Kasarwadi and nearby areas. Because of his initiatives, he was appointed the first principal of a ZP school in Pimpri-Chinchwad.”