Patna: Father MM Mathew, also known as ``Solar Mathew``, is planning to set up a solar crematorium in Patna.
Since 1996, Mathew, a Jesuit priest, has been running a project - the Solar Alternatives and Associated Programmes (SAAP), and has been involved in assembling a range of solar appliances.
The project has been instrumental in spreading the use of solar energy in the region.
Mathew, however, is working on a new project - a plan for a solar crematorium. He says that it would be very useful for the poor, who cannot afford to purchase the wood required for funeral pyres.
"Many poor people struggle to collect rupees 4,000 to 5,000 needed to buy wood for a funeral pyre. We thought of building a solar crematorium, a design for which has been already created in Gujarat," said Mathew.
"Wood is required to burn dead bodies and it is not widely available. Also, burning wood creates pollution, and it is expensive. So to save on cutting wood and money, we have planed to come up with a solar crematorium," Mathew added.
Solar Alternatives and Associated Programmes has been recognized as a supplier of solar thermal devices by the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources. (ANI)
