Firewood shortage at Puri's Swargadwar causes long delays for cremations
Swargadwar, Puri's iconic cremation ground, is struggling with a serious firewood shortage, causing long waits for families saying their final goodbyes.
On Tuesday morning alone, six bodies arrived between 5am and 6am and were cremated only after 9am.
Normally, the site handles more than 100 bodies daily and needs 15 to 20 tons of firewood daily just to keep up.
Heavy rains disrupt Puri firewood supply
Heavy rains have messed up the usual firewood supply, and even though Swargadwar is using casuarina wood from the Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC), it is still not enough.
Families can bring their own wood if they want, but that has not solved things either.
Plans for a modern wood-based furnace are stuck due to funding issues.
Meanwhile, servitors suggest better support for village cremation sites and faster action so rituals are not delayed in the future.