Hyderabad: The Smashana Vatika crematorium in Shaikpet is grappling with a severe crisis due to a lack of basic amenities. The absence of toilets and proper lighting, coupled with poor maintenance, exacerbate the challenges faced by families who come to perform the last rites of their loved ones.The four-acre site is sports piles of garbage, with a foul smell putting people at inconvenience. Locals say garbage and overgrown trees have taken over the crematorium, with stray dogs roaming around the crematorium.On top of this, the crematorium lacks a caretaker and basic facilities such as functional streetlights and an operational bathroom.Siddha Murari Gandhi, whose relative passed away three weeks ago, said that his family had to use their car’s high beams for visibility. “By the time we had finished the rituals, it was night-time. When we arrived at the graveyard, it was pitch dark. With the streetlights not working, we were forced to use the headlights of our car, which we had parked outside, as a source of light,” he said.Residents said that for they had organised a clean-up drive using their own money during Diwali, but less than a month later, rubbish had piled up again. “People living in residential houses and running commercial establishments use this road just to dump their rubbish here,” said Bootham Balakrishnan, who runs a construction business.GHMC officials said 60 lakh have been allocated to renovate crematorium. “Work will begin soon, starting with the restroom, for which 24 lakh has been sanctioned,” said Vijay Kumar, a GHMC engineer, Jubilee Hills Circle.
