Beginning June 1, the Municipal Company of Delhi (MCD) will start providing free cremations in any respect CNG and electrical crematoria throughout the town, senior municipal officers stated on Tuesday.
Officers stated the civic physique will compensate NGOs ₹500 per cremation in the event that they conduct a CNG or electrical primarily based cremation, aiming to discourage wooden primarily based cremations and scale back air air pollution. The venture will initially run for 2 years and cam be prolonged primarily based on responses.
A senior civic official related to the venture informed PR that the checklist of NGOs who will oversee the functioning has been finalised and MoUs are being signed.
“In Could, we’ll clear the funds and dues with the earlier operators. The brand new NGOs will probably be making modifications within the cremation grounds as per their necessities and the brand new regime will come into drive from June,” the official stated, including that the civic physique presently has CNG furnaces at 9 areas.
The official added that the fashionable crematorium at Sarai Kale Khan and new facility in Rohini which can have three sections catering to Hindus, Muslims and Christians can even be useful from June.
Officers stated final 12 months the civic physique floated an expression of curiosity, inviting NGOs, trusts, and self-help teams to undertake, develop, and keep 33 main cremation grounds, burial grounds (Qabristan and cemeteries). These embody complexes in locations like Punjabi Bagh, Sarai Kale Khan, Rohini Sector 26, Dwarka Sector 24, Inexperienced Park, Basant Gaon, Ghazipur, Hastsal amongst others.
“This course of is now in closing stage and we have now determined to implement coverage change together with the handover to the NGOs,” official stated.
Earlier on February 2026, the MCD home of councillors had authorized the availability of offering free cremation services at CNG and electrical crematoriums throughout the town. “In an effort to scale back smoke emission by burning of gasoline wooden for human cremation in Delhi, cremation utilizing CNG/electrical furnace have to be inspired,” the path said.
The proposal additionally said that in 2023-25, solely 8-9% of human our bodies have been cremated utilizing CNG or electrical furnaces, and that ₹1,500 is charged for cremations utilizing a CNG furnace, whereas ₹500 is charged at electrical crematoriums, per physique.
In keeping with the proposal, it might value ₹2 crore per 12 months to offer these providers at no cost of value. The MCD presently oversees 59 wood-based cremation grounds, 9 CNG-based crematoriums, and one electric-based advanced.The MCD official stated that the Sarai Kale facility is accomplished and may be taken over.
“Some minor highway restore work is pending and we will probably be including a line to hold ganga water for rituals,” a second official stated.
Situated alongside the Yamuna floodplains, the power is predicted to cut back the load on the Nigam Bodh Ghat facility. It will likely be the fourth giant crematorium in Delhi positioned on the riverbank.