Chennai, May 31 (IANS): The Greater Chennai Corporation is in the process of digitising the bookings at crematoriums and burial grounds after plenty of complaints of local strongmen and goons fleecing people coming to perform last rites of their near and dear ones.

Sources told IANS that in certain wards, the councillors become helpless and local goons charge as much as Rs 30,000 to bury a body. This happened in K.V.A Thilak Nagar ward of Mogappiar area.

Local people have complained several times to the corporation but when the officials reach the spot the strongmen fled only to return after the officials left the area. This has become a routine practice, thus leading to several people losing huge money for cremation and burial.

Greater Chennai Corporation Mayor R. Priya has passed a resolution in the council that the bookings for the burial grounds and crematoriums would henceforth be done digitally. The Mayor told media persons that once the bookings are digitised, the entry of local strongmen would be checked and people can cremate or bury their dead without paying any money to local goons and strongmen.