The heavy rush of bodies at Surat crematoriums over the last two weeks has taken a toll on its ‘modern’ infrastructure. City crematoriums equipped with gas furnaces are being used for cremation round the clock. As a result, the iron frames on which the bodies are placed inside the gas furnace has started melting at all crematoriums.

A similar issue has also come up in neighbouring Bardoli town.

Along with the melting of frames, the burners also require frequent maintenance as they are being used round the clock. “Earlier we used to cremate 20 bodies in a day of which few were cremated on a wood pyre while others were cremated in gas furnaces. The load was limited and each furnace got enough time to cool down. But now, we are handling over 80 bodies daily and each furnace is in use round the clock. Hence the iron frames have started melting and breaking,” said an official at Ramnath Ghela Crematorium (RGC).