SHILLONG, July 15: The state government has informed the High Court of Meghalaya that it has identified 46 sites across four districts for the construction of crematoriums and has released Rs 46 lakh to the respective district administrations for the project.
During a hearing before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice W. Diengdoh, Additional Advocate General K Khan submitted an action-taken report detailing the progress.
Out of a total requirement of 60 locations, the government has finalised 46.
In East Khasi Hills, 34 sites have been identified out of 43, with Rs 34 lakh sanctioned. Eastern West Khasi Hills saw three sites finalised out of eight, while Ri-Bhoi and South West Khasi Hills have completed their identification process with six and three sites respectively.
The government also confirmed that the sanctioned amount of Rs 1 lakh per site has been released and is currently held by the district authorities.
The court was further informed that verification for the remaining locations is under way, and six additional sites across the state are yet to be identified.
Meanwhile, the AAG sought more time to obtain instructions regarding the identification of burial sites, which the court granted.
