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Delhi

Grief-stricken families wait in line to cremate their loved ones

Grief-stricken families wait in   line to cremate their loved ones
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New delhi: Delhi has witnessed more than 400 deaths in the past two days leaving behind grief stricken families. However, the situation at the crematorium grounds shows a different reality, with official sources hinting that many deaths are unaccounted for.

At Delhi's Dwarka crematorium, people have been waiting for hours so that they can cremate their loved ones. The families have to first take a token from the counter after which they have to wait for their turn.

A family member who had been waiting to cremate their relative for the past two hours said that the situation is so bad, waiting for a couple of hours does not seem like an inconvenience. "Honestly, I am relieved we were able to at least procure a number. We tried going to other cremation grounds, but the situation was so bad that we are glad we came here," Rahul Sharma, whose relative died.

The cremation ground only had bodies of those who died of Covid-19. "My relative died due to oxygen shortage at the hospital. First, we have to run for the beds, then the oxygen and even after death, it is a fight to bury the dead. Basically, the whole situation is a chaos and has ruined us completely," Sharma said.

24-year-old Vijay is an ambulance driver who had been traveling to and fro said that he has been witnessing more than 60 cremations every day since the past couple of days. "On Sunday, I was given the token number 55 and even today I have to wait for at least two hours," he said, as the body of a patient was kept inside his ambulance.

He said that working last year was difficult, however this wave is worse. "Since the pandemic began, we have not rested for once. I have been driving the ambulance every day. Although the fear of dead bodies has decreased as we have been witnessing so many deaths since last year," he added.

Families and friends wearing PPE kits waited in line to cremate their loved ones, not understanding how to revive themselves from such a grief. "I lost my colleague and a friend due to Covid," a man and a friend said while not being able to compose himself. "We all work in a hospital ourselves and to see someone so close go away is heart-wrenching," he added.

The crematorium is comparatively small that can at the one moment give space to 20 bodies at a time.

Meanwhile, SDMC, in order to conduct last rites of deceased Covid patients in a respectful manner, has improved facilities at all its cremation centres. The civic agency is making special arrangements to cope up the situation amid increased number of Covid deaths.

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