India, Sept. 2 -- In response to rising pollution levels around Vaikunth Smashan Bhoomi, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has urged citizens to opt for crematoriums closer to their residences for performing last rites, rather than relying heavily on the Vaikunth facility.

Civic officials said PMC operates 26 crematoriums across the city, although after the merger of 34 villages, more have been added, where 3,500-4,000 cremations take place every month. Of these, nearly 40% are performed at Vaikunth alone, which handles 35-40 cremations daily. The heavy concentration of rituals at the single site has resulted in significant smoke emissions and foul odour in the surrounding Navi Peth area.

"After the merger of 34 villages, PMC now has...