Ranchi Municipal Corporation will form a committee to regulate cremation prices and the sale of firewood and other funeral essentials at 16 cremation and funeral sites under its jurisdiction, following complaints and concerns over overcharging by vendors.
The decision was taken at a review meeting chaired by municipal commissioner Sushant Gaurav to assess the condition and functioning of the sites. The proposed panel will regulate prices, oversee the selection of agencies managing individual cremation grounds and ensure that operators comply with municipal guidelines.
Gaurav said cremation grounds and funeral sites were vital public spaces serving all sections of society. He said the corporation’s objective was to provide citizens with a dignified and improved system by ensuring cleanliness, security and the availability of essential basic amenities.
Under state norms, civic bodies can license vendors selling fuel and funeral materials at cremation sites and fix their rates. The sale of such items without a licence within a 300-yard radius of a funeral ground is prohibited and may invite legal action. Officials said vendors charging more than the prescribed rates would face immediate cancellation of their licences.
The proposed system will require all agencies managing cremation grounds to register with the RMC and follow civic guidelines. Although management responsibilities may be assigned to different agencies, the corporation will retain overall regulatory control over the sites.
The review also resulted in instructions to begin special two-shift sanitation drives every day at all 16 locations. The drives will focus on clearing accumulated waste from the cremation grounds and funeral sites. The engineering wing has been asked to undertake site-specific civil repairs, while the horticulture department will cut grass and clean surrounding green spaces.
Zonal teams have been directed to install directional signboards at important junctions to improve access to the sites. The civic body also reviewed mandatory registration and operational compliance under Sections 70, 369 to 375 and 377 of the Jharkhand Municipal Act, 2011, as well as directives issued by the state urban development and housing department.
The measures place cremation grounds within the corporation’s broader public-service and regulatory responsibilities. The immediate implementation milestones are the constitution of the price-regulation committee, registration of managing agencies, sanitation work and site-specific repairs.
