Kolkata, Dec 24 (IANS): The 187-year-old Nimtala crematorium here where the last rites of noble laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore were performed in 1941 will be modernised at a cost of Rs.20 crore.

The upgraded facilities at the Nimtala Crematorium would have eight new electric furnaces, a waiting and praying/meditating area, anti-pollution devices, toilet facilities and chimneys, sources at the Kolakata Municipal Corporation said.

On the top floor of the structure, a 3,000 square feet area has been reserved for the bereaved family members to take rest or pray for the departed soul.

Of the total project cost, the Bengal chapter of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Association of India has contributed Rs.5 crore, while the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, the West Bengal government and the National Ganga River Basin Authority has pooled in the rest of the money.

The Nimtala crematorium is steeped in history and has bade adieu to the mortal remains of Tagore, his father Debendranath, and the composer of "bande Mataram" Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay besides other luminaries from Bengal.

The crematorium came up in 1827, while the central government rejuvenated and upgraded it in 2010.