NEW DELHI — India’s Supreme Court has ordered a state government to remove a wood-burning crematorium from near the Taj Mahal to protect the monument from pollution damage.
The judges said Monday the Uttar Pradesh government could either move the crematorium or install an electric one in its place.
They ruled after a letter from another Supreme Court judge, who said that he’d noticed the mausoleum spewing smoke and ash during a recent visit to the monument and was concerned about the effect of air pollution on the marble structure.
In their order, the two judges suggested that the state could move the wood-burning crematorium and also build an electric one at the current site. This would allow people wanting to use wood pyres to do so, while others could use the electric crematorium, they said.1
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The state government's advocate general agreed.
"It is a very good suggestion and I totally agree with the judge's letter," Vijay Bahadur Singh said, the Indian Express reports. "Give me a fortnight and I will come back to this court with a solution."
Crematorium staff, however, denied the pollution charges.
"Ghee, camphor, sandalwood paste and cow dung cakes used in the pyres are instead helping enrich the environment," manager Sanjay Singh told the Times of India.2
- 1. Source: Washington Post
- 2. Source: BBC