Maharashtra to frame policy ensuring crematorium in every village: Minister

Mumbai, Jul 8 (PTI) The Maharashtra government will formulate a comprehensive policy to ensure that every village in the state has access to a crematorium, state Rural Development Minister Jaykumar Gore said on Wednesday. Replying to a question raised by Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Sanjay Derkar in the state assembly, Gore said the government has adopted a "crematorium for every village" policy and will ensure that villages without cremation facilities receive priority in the allocation of land and funds. Of Maharashtra's 40,760 revenue villages, 32,791 have crematoriums, the minister informed. The government has directed that the availability of a crematorium should be ensured before sanctioning other development works in villages where the facility is absent, he said. Gore said a separate and comprehensive policy is being prepared for villages where land for crematoriums is unavailable. The government is considering options such as allotting land, creating common crematoriums for nearby villages, and acquiring or purchasing land wherever necessary. District collectors will be asked to submit reports identifying villages that do not have crematorium facilities, he added. Financial assistance for crematorium projects would be provided through district planning committees, Zilla Parishad cess funds and other available funding sources, the minister stated. The government would pursue the availability of land belonging to the forest, revenue and other government departments for setting up crematoriums wherever required, he said. Legislators Atul Bhosale (BJP), Vijay Wadettiwar (Congress), Amit Deshmukh (Congress) and other MLAs also participated in the discussion. PTI MR GK