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Delhi MCD Approves Free CNG, Electric Cremations in Two-Year Pilot

The session paired pollution control with transparency steps after a recent expansion of the commissioner’s sanction limit.

Overview

  • The House cleared a pilot waiving fees for CNG and electric cremations for two years, with an annual outlay estimated at ₹2–2.5 crore including ₹500 per body to NGOs that run facilities.
  • Current charges of ₹1,500 for CNG and ₹500 for electric cremations will be waived to encourage cleaner options, which accounted for only 8–9% of cremations in 2023–25.
  • The corporation oversees 59 wood-based cremation grounds, nine CNG crematoriums and one electric facility, highlighting the scale of the shift being targeted.
  • Councillors also resolved to publish Corporation and Standing Committee decisions and minutes on the MCD website from April 1, 2026, citing RTI obligations after recent legal and activist pressure.
  • Debate over the Delhi government’s move authorizing the commissioner to approve projects up to ₹50 crore punctuated proceedings, as the House also passed toll-tax remissions and recoveries tied to the G20 and 2023 anti-pollution curbs and approved 36 naming proposals within a total of 55 items.