MillenniumPost
Delhi

As bodies pile up, authorities pass the buck over responsibility

New Delhi: As politics continues over piling dead bodies at mortuaries and delays in their disposal at various cremation centres, concerned authorities have now been claiming to solve the crisis by enhancing their capacity. Ruling party leaders from North MCD have been accusing AAP government for the mess created over those who died due to Corona while the opposition is training it's gun over ruling party leaders.

"There is no seriousness among bureaucrats and ruling party leaders who have been sitting at senior positions in the civic body. First they failed to run CNG cremation unit at Nigambodh Ghat in full capacity and now they are making excuses. According to the report, atleast eight bodies were returned on Friday in absence of space at Nigambodh Ghat. Responsibility of concerned officials must be fixed in this regard," said a senior opposition leader.

While talking to the North MCD's Health Department officials, they failed to explain the situation passing the buck to Delhi government and Nighambogh Ghat authorities. The Nighambodh Ghat authority, too, passed buck back to North MCD's Health Department. The sordid state of affairs is that no concerned official or department is willing to improve the situation during these days when the entire country is reeling severely due to Corona outbreak.

Highly placed sources in North MCD said that six CNG furnaces at Nigambodh Ghat were installed in the last 10 years and maintenance and repair was not done during the period. Now, amid the Corona crisis, a senior health department official single handedly decided to dismantle three pyres which reduced the capacity to half. Now since cremation has started cremation in open by using wood instead of closed chamber CNG cremation may spread Coronavirus infection among relatives and staff deputed at the cremation centre," he said. When Millennium Post contacted that particular official and his junior official, both refused to entertain. The first one said that he cannot talk anything since he is on weekly off today (Saturday) while his associate also talked in a similar way. Shockingly, both the officials disconnected the call and did not bother to reply to text messages.

The SDMC, on Friday, had claimed that the corporations were using only CNG furnaces to dispose of the dead bodies of COVID positive patients. The three CNG operated furnaces are available at Nigambodh Ghat Crematorium that could dispose of 18 bodies every day. Four CNG furnaces are available at Punjabi Bagh cremation ground that could dispose of 24 bodies every day. In addition to these facilities, the bodies were also being disposed of at the burial grounds at Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, Mangolpuri, Madanpur Khadar and Mangolpuri Christian Burial Ground. There was no refusal or queue or pending bodies at any of these crematoriums or burial grounds.

Now, keeping in view of the increasing numbers of Corona positive cases, a decision was taken by the all three corporations to allow the cremation on wood pyres also at Punjabi Bagh, Nigam Bodh Ghat, Panchkuiyan Road, Karkardooma cremation gorunds and electric cremation at Lodhi Road Crematorium with the capacity of about 20-22; 15-16; 8-10; 6-8 and 5-6 respectively.

The cremation facilities are available between 7 am to 10 pm and due to this increased facilities, the Corporations increased the disposal capacity of crimination to 95-100 bodies per day from earlier capacity of 45 bodies per day. As per above facts, all the three corporations are able to dispose of about 95-100 dead bodies per day.

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