LPG shortage hits crematoria in city, contractors struggle to book supplies

Amid a nationwide crisis, contractors running crematoria under the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) said they are facing difficulties booking LPG cylinders amid a supply disruption that has tightened availability at distributor godowns.

J. John, an AIADMK councillor from Korattur in the Ambattur zone, said contractor at the Ambattur crematorium had recently bought six cylinders from a different distributor two days ago.

According to him, an average of five cremations take place at the facility everyday and each cremation requires about 10 kg of LPG. Based on the current stock, supplies at the crematorium may last up to a week, he said.

According to the contractor for this facility, distributors are not immediately accepting bookings for additional cylinders for the coming days. He manages seven other crematoria in the city.

“Earlier, cylinders could be booked simply by calling one or two distributors a day in advance. One distributor used to supply around 70 to 80 cylinders, while another distributor in Kasimedu supplied around 35 to 40 cylinders a month. However, the demand for cylinders has increased since Friday. Contractors are now approaching local distributors near each crematorium and requesting around 10 cylinders for each facility,” he said.

Some distributors said that their godowns were empty and cylinders could be issued only after higher authorities in gas agency companies were contacted, the contractor added. He said one 19.5 kg commercial LPG cylinder cost ₹1,930 as of March 1 and the price is expected to increase further.

“The facility to burn using conventional firewood was demolished in the crematoria and replaced by LPG gasifiers, and contractors were told that using firewood is a banned practice. So, officials of the Greater Chennai Corporation have collected details about the stock of cylinders available, the number of empty cylinders, and the projected requirement,” the contractor added.

According to the GCC, the city has 202 burial grounds and crematoria, and of these, 55 are LPG gasifiers.

Of the 60,000 deaths registered in the 15 zones of the city every year, over 50% of the bodies are cremated or buried in GCC burial grounds while 50% are cremated in other districts, GCC officials said.

“Over 20,000 bodies are cremated in Chennai Corporation burial grounds every year. Modern LPG crematoriums are crucial. We have only two electric crematoriums, one in Virugambakkam and another in Kannammapet,” said an official.

Contractors who operate LPG gasifier-fitted crematoria in central and south Chennai said they are currently unable to make further bookings with cylinder distributors.

Some facilities currently have three 19.5 kg cylinders in stock, while others have five or seven cylinders, the contractors said. “The private suppliers are offering cylinders for up to ₹4,000 each, which is not viable for us,” one contractor for Perungudi Zone claimed.

Officials in north Chennai said that in areas such as Nettukuppam and Ennore, LPG gasifiers currently have stocks that could last for more than a fortnight. However, the status of booking for additional cylinders is the same as in the other zones.

Notice to contractors

Several zonal officials said notices would be issued to contractors stating that cremation services must continue uninterrupted. They added that contractors may not receive additional payments if they procure cylinders from private suppliers at higher rates.

A senior official in the Public Health Department of the Chennai Corporation said the civic body has requested bulk bookings with gas agencies. The official added that the Corporation will ensure an uninterrupted supply of LPG cylinders to crematoria across the city.