Planned upgrade of Hindu crematorium at Kharewado discussed
VASCO
The Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) on Monday morning convened a council meeting to take up a series of pending civic issues, including the inauguration of the new Vasco fish market, relocation of vendors, the return of government offices to the renovated municipal building, and the planned upgrade of the Hindu crematorium at Kharewado.
MMC Chairperson Girish Borker, speaking to reporters after the meeting, said the long-awaited Vasco fish market was ready for inauguration and the process of shifting vendors from the temporary shed would now begin.
“The fish market is ready, but we must issue a notice to the vendors to vacate the temporary shed because we are paying rent for that space to the revenue department,” he said.
Dy collector,
mamlatdar offices
Borker added that the council was finalising arrangements to bring the dy collector and mamlatdar offices back into the MMC building.
“We are planning to bring back the Dy Collector and Mamlatdar offices, but they have to clear previous rent dues of around Rs 41 lakh. The revenue department has already deducted Rs 15 lakh as rent for the temporary shed being used to house the fish vendors, and they are now willing to pay the remaining Rs 26 lakh. The offices have agreed to settle the dues before shifting back, and they are currently installing AC units and electrical fittings as per their requirements,” he said.
Relocation of
fish vendors
The council also deliberated on the seating plan and relocation process for the fish vendors once the market opens.
“We discussed how to shift the vendors and finalise their seating arrangements. The Dy Collector has already asked us to vacate the present space as they may construct a building there. The sewage issue at the new market has been resolved, and now we will ask vendors to mutually decide their seating. If they cannot, we can opt for a lot system to avoid disputes about front and back rows,” Borker explained.
He added, “We don’t want fights among vendors over placement. The lot system will ensure fairness if needed.”
Hindu crematorium
Another major point of discussion was the renovation and modernisation of the Hindu crematorium at Kharewado. Borker said the facility was in a deteriorated condition and GSL had agreed to support the upgrade.
“Kharewado crematorium is in a bad state. We had written to Goa Shipyard Limited, and they agreed not only to help renovate it but also to provide a gas-based cremation machine. A company from Gujarat has demonstrated the machine, we inspected it, and it has been approved,” he said.
The proposed system will require the crematorium to be fully enclosed with designated inlet and exit points.
“The gas machine costs around Rs 70 lakh, which GSL will provide. However, the additional Rs 27 lakh needed to prepare the crematorium infrastructure will have to be borne by the MMC. I have already requested GSUDA to sanction the Rs 27 lakh for this purpose,” Borker said.
He added that the gas-based system would be cost-effective and environmentally superior.
“Every cremation now costs around Rs 5,000 and sometimes good wood is charged separately. This new system reduces the dependence on wood and is being used successfully across India. If we introduce it, we will be the first in Goa to use a gas-based system,” he noted.
The council is expected to initiate the next steps on all three projects in the coming weeks.
