NAVI MUMBAI: The civic engineering department invited a tender for an air pollution control system chimney at the Teen Taki crematorium in Koparkhairane on Wednesday. Locals had been demanding for the chimney since long, as the polluted air from the crematorium pose risks of serious health hazards for the people staying in the adjacent residential complexes.

"The focus of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) shouldn't be just installing the chimney. It should also have a mechanism so that the smoke can be cleaned of harmful particles before it is released into the atmosphere," said Navneet Desai, a local.

Sources said, the civic body had earlier said that it would spend nearly Rs2.31 crore in developing the crematorium at Teen Taki.

The installation of the pollution control system is not included in the expenses incurred in redeveloping the crematorium.

"The authorities had decided to install the chimney from the very beginning. After Koparkhairane, similar projects will be undertaken at other crematoriums as well," said an official.

Shiv Sena corporator Manoj Haldankar said that the administration has said they will install chimneys at Airoli crematorium as well.