Two prominent crematoria run by the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) are due for a makeover. Renovations at the nine-acre Mata Ramabai Ambedkar Smashan Bhoomi (crematorium), within which the Worli Prayer Hall stands, will be undertaken by The Hiralal Parekh Parivar Charity Trust. The Trust consists of a family of retired and working doctors. The two-year project will be undertaken at a cost of Rs 38.5 crores, reported The Times of India (ToI) on April 1, 2019. The Trust has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bombay Municipal Corporation. Work is expected to start in June 2019. "(It) looks good, if implemented as written. Cannot say how it will affect the existing set up (of the Prayer Hall),” noted Dinshaw Tamboly, chairman of the Prayer Hall Trust.
View of crematorium at Worli
The newspaper reported that the area will be transformed into "90,000 sq ft of green tranquility studded with lily ponds, prayer halls, hygienic toilets and parking space.” The plans include "a judicious mix of wood pyres, gas and electric furnaces” that would enable 12 cremations simultaneously. The designs for the redevelopment will be provided by noted architect Rahul Mehrotra. The environmentally conscious planning includes the use of solar energy, rain-water harvesting, and composting of organic waste.
Parts of the crematorium at Chandanwadi near Marine Lines, declared "dangerous for human movement” in 2017 through a structural audit, are yet to be razed by the BMC, noted ToI on April 1. The areas include two halls where mourners gather, and the office. The halls have been closed after a slab collapsed in October 2017 and the office has been shifted to another location within the premises. An employee told the newspaper that last rites are performed in the lobby, which is also in very poor condition.