Ahmedabad Odhav Crematorium Wood Row: Civic Body Blacklists Contractor For Just One Year After Tyres Used In Funeral

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has blacklisted Shri Vivekanand Gramudyog Seva Sangh for one year after allegations that wet firewood supplied to the Odhav crematorium forced mourners to use tyres and rugs to keep a funeral pyre burning. The action came nearly 10 months after a video of the incident surfaced and triggered public outrage.

Contractor Faces One-Year Blacklisting

The AMC’s Health Birth and Death Crematorium Department had recommended action against the agency, which was responsible for supplying dry firewood and digging funeral pits at the crematorium.

According to the civic department, the organisation had allegedly failed to comply with tender conditions and acted against public interest by supplying unsuitable wood. The proposal to blacklist the contractor was eventually approved by the Health and Solid Waste Management Committee after being kept pending for further discussion.

Committee chairman Deepak Panchal said several written and oral complaints had been received against the organisation. Under the decision, Shri Vivekanand Gramudyog Seva Sangh will not be permitted to participate in AMC tenders for one year.

Organisations in which the agency's president is a member will also be barred from participating in tenders during the period, according to the committee.

Tyres, Rugs Used To Keep Funeral Pyre Burning

The controversy dates back to October last year, when mourners at the Odhav crematorium allegedly struggled to burn a body because the firewood supplied by the contractor was wet.

Photographs and a video showing tyres and rugs being used to sustain the funeral pyre subsequently went viral on social media, drawing criticism over conditions at the crematorium.

The agency had reportedly secured the contract by quoting a price below prevailing market rates. Allegations were later raised that it was supplying heavy, damp wood instead of the dry firewood specified under the contract.

Decision Was Earlier Kept Pending

The blacklisting proposal was first placed before the committee on July 13. However, the committee deferred the matter, stating that the issue required further discussion.

The eventual approval has led to questions over the delay between the incident and the civic action.

According to the allegations cited in the complaint, the agency was also accused of discrepancies in the weight of firewood supplied and of demanding additional money from grieving families using the crematorium. The department recommended cancellation of the contract and blacklisting after complaints over these issues.

Political Allegations Surface

Questions have also been raised within the civic administration over the extent of the punishment. Some AMC sources have alleged that the organisation's president is a former BJP corporator and claimed that political considerations may have influenced the handling of the matter.

These allegations have not been independently established, and the civic committee has not said that the former corporator's association influenced its decision.

The AMC has said the agency will remain barred from tenders for one year, while the tender process for the future supply of firewood at the crematorium is currently under way.