Hussain urges Centre to constitute a committee for creation of

Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain has urged the Centre to consider constituting a technical committee for drafting a model policy for creating a standardized design for green crematoria.
In a letter written to Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave, Hussain said that there is an urgent need to convert existing wood based crematoria into green crematoria as burning of biomass such as woods, manure among others are the most significant contributors to air pollution in Delhi.
"I therefore request the Central government to consider constituting a technical committee for drafting a model policy for creating a standardized design for the green crematoria," he said, adding that cremation alone accounts considerably to air pollution and across India, each year huge quantity of wood is used in cremations.

He said the Delhi government has taken extensive steps to modify the design of traditional crematoria into green ones.
"In an effort to address this issue Government of NCT of Delhi has recently undertaken extensive measures to modify the designs of the traditional crematoria into green ones with smoke tappers.
"CSIR National Environmental Engeenring Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) is beng tasked with the work of creating engineering designs for creating such non-polluting crematoria," he said in the letter.

He said that other cities can also benefit by creating green crematorium that preserve our age-old traditions and also control air pollution.
"Establishment of green crematoria will help in substantially cutting down pollution emissions from burning of the biomass and in significantally improving air quality index," he said.

Hussain said the Central government should direct the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)/ various state governments in India to implement and undertake these measures to control air pollution.
Delhi BJP Media Incharge Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, "It
seems the issue has been raised just to make academic record before National Green Tribunal which is seized of the matter of pollution in Delhi."
He said that Hussain's letter on pollution due to cremation through woods seems to be written callously without making an effort to understand the work already being done by the three municipal Corporations and the NGOs running the major crematoriums in the national capital.