Hindu group wants subsidies for overseas cremation or space for traditional open pyres in Malta

An international organisation that advocates for Hindus suggested that the Maltese government should provide subsidies so that Hindus can cremate their loved ones abroad or on traditional open pyres.

It has been three years since cremation became legal in Malta, but no crematorium has been built to provide the service, leaving many Hindus disappointed as they bury their loved ones locally against their beliefs.

Rajan Zed, the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, urged in a statement last Saturday that the Maltese government should provide a subsidy to Hindus who can only cremate their loved ones overseas, or at least permit them to do so on customary open pyres locally.

“If the Government is presently unable to offer a subsidy for cremations abroad, then in the meantime, Hindus should be allowed to cremate their deceased on traditional open pyres in Malta. For this purpose, the Malta Government should allot a cremation ground near a body of water where Hindus could cremate their deceased on open pyres,” Rajan Zed said. 

Despite the Parliament passing a bill permitting cremation in May 2019, a working crematorium is still a long way off. Malta approved the law but regulations governing the actual operations of such facilities, including rules on the type of fuel which can be used, still have to be approved.

Zed said that overseas cremation costs about €5,000, while additional options can increase the price. He also pointed out that many non-Hindus in Malta increasingly favour cremation over burial.

He emphasised that the right to practice one's religious traditions was a fundamental human right. Additionally, as a member of the European Union, Malta was a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights. Zed urged the president and prime minister to "carefully study this matter of religious freedom, fairness, and equality."

Zed further urged Health Minister Chris Fearne and Environment Minister Miriam Dalli, to expedite the crematorium process so that Hindus could bury their loved ones according to the correct rites, traditions, and customs.

He also encouraged the Archbishop of Malta, Charles Jude Scicluna, and the Roman Catholic Cardinal of Malta, Mario Grech to publicly support their Hindu counterparts on this matter.

A crematorium had been proposed on a plot of agricultural land to the south of the Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery in an area known as Tal-Ħorr.

The application was presented last year by Johann Camilleri on behalf of Active Group Limited. The company also declared full ownership of the entire site.

However, the Environmental Health Directorate filed an objection against the works as there were no rules that can regulate the way crematoriums in Malta will work.