Ongoing repairs at Coventry crematorium makes it hard for Sikhs and Hindus to honour the dead, a councillor has said.Coventry City Council is replacing one of its cremators and put scaffolding in Canley Crematorium viewing bay in 2007.
Observers of both faiths need to witness the coffin being charred to see the departure of the soul, city councillor Sucha Singh Bains said.
He said the work often prevented Hindus and Sikhs viewing the actual cremation. The council has declined to comment.
'Fed up'The Sikh councillor said when the families were able to watch, the repair work meant there were often long delays to see the bodies being cremated after the service.
Until the Hindu and Sikh families had witnessed this happening they could not go on to practise their other religious funeral rites, he said.
Mr Bains said he had gathered a petition with more than 200 names on it asking Coventry City Council to speed up the repairs.
He said: "It is not a big project but it has been going on so long people are getting fed up."
He is due to present the petition to the council later.
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 5:04 pm