Firhad Hakim hands over special allowance to crematorium priests across Kolkata

KOLKATA: Mayor Firhad Hakim on Monday handed over special allowance to Agradani Brahmins for their services rendered at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation-run crematoriums across the city. An Agradani Brahmin is one who performs the last rites of the deceased and gets paid in lieu of his services.
A month ago, Hakim had announced that the civic body would recognize agradani brahmins as official priests and pay them an allowance. There are eight KMC-run crematoriums in Kolkata and these form the source of income for over a hundred Agradani Brahmins, said sources in the KMC health department.
On Monday, Hakim invited some of these priests to the KMC headquarters and handed them each a Rs 10,000 cheque for their services rendered in June. The mayor conceded that he felt for such priests who were at the mercy of the relatives of the deceased who pay them after the last rites are performed. "When I assumed office, I found from the health department records that there is a provision for payment to grave diggers at the burial grounds being run by the civic body. It then came to my mind that we would be doing a great wrong if we don't pay agradani brahmins," Hakim said.
He ruled out politics associated with the decision to pay the priests. "We are here not to please any community. We have decided to give these priests some amount of honour by recognizing their services," Hakim said.