Cremation charges soar:Wood priced at ₹600/quintal sold at ₹1,300; last rites cost ₹3,500–₹4,200

Cremation grounds in Indore are witnessing alleged overcharging, with families paying significantly more for last rites as the cost of wood is marked up well beyond market rates. An investigation has found that firewood, available at around ₹600 per quintal in the open market, is being sold for nearly ₹1,300 per quintal at several muktidhams. This has pushed the total cost of a cremation to between ₹3,500 and ₹4,200, depending on the site. Mark-up inflates cost of last rites On average, 2.5 to 3 quintals of wood are used per cremation. While this quantity would cost roughly ₹1,800 at market prices, families are being charged ₹3,500 to ₹4,150—an excess of ₹1,400 to ₹2,000 per funeral. Sources say contractors operating at cremation grounds procure wood at lower rates and sell it at inflated prices, earning margins of ₹200–₹300 per quintal. No rate list, weak oversight A survey of 43 cremation grounds across Indore found no publicly displayed rate lists or standardised pricing. There appears to be little monitoring by the municipal corporation, allowing contractors to fix rates arbitrarily. Local traders claim that most of the wood supplied to cremation grounds is sourced at close to market rates but sold to end users at nearly double the price. Charges vary across sites Staff at these facilities say wood is brought from the Forest Department and sold through contractor-managed systems, leading to variation in pricing. Officials deflect responsibility Authorities have offered little clarity on regulation. While registration officials pointed to procedural roles limited to birth and death records, other departments indicated that the operation of cremation grounds does not fall directly under their purview. The absence of clear accountability has left bereaved families exposed to inflated costs, raising concerns over transparency and regulation in essential public services.