Alipurduar Hosp: Crisis mounts due to non-functional electric crematorium

Alipurduar: A month after a storm damaged the electric crematorium operated by Alipurduar Municipality, repair work remains incomplete, leading to a growing crisis at the Alipurduar District Hospital.

The crematorium was rendered inoperative on July 13 after a branch from a tree fell on its chimney during a storm. The municipality issued a notice the next day, suspending cremation services until repairs were completed. However, with no restoration in sight, the hospital is now struggling to manage unclaimed bodies.

As of Friday, 18 unclaimed corpses have accumulated in the hospital morgue. Alarmingly, 8 to 10 of them have been stored in chiller trays for nearly three months—the maximum duration permitted by hospital regulations. Beyond this period, disposal is mandatory due to sanitary concerns.

Hospital Superintendent Dr. Paritosh Mondal stated, “Due to the malfunctioning of the electric crematorium, we are unable to cremate unclaimed bodies. Although the morgue is air-conditioned, some of the bodies have begun to emit foul odour. We have written to the District Magistrate seeking permission to transfer the bodies to the electric crematorium in Cooch Behar. If that fails, we will have to resort to the wooden furnace.”

Municipal officials claim there is an alternative. Alipurduar Municipality Chairman Prosenjit Kar said: “While the electric crematorium is under repair, cremations have not stopped. We have a wooden crematorium adjacent to it and that facility is still operational.”

Hospital authorities continue to await a resolution as concerns over public health and dignity for the deceased mount.