Cremation Centres
The city has 42 crematoriums and 58 burial grounds. On an average, 30,000 cremations and burials take place in Bengaluru annually. The city witnessed a huge rise in Covid deaths during the pandemic, which has caused an overflow at cremation centers. Families are forced to wait for hours to get their loved ones’ bodies cremated or buried. In some cases, families have had to pay exorbitant amounts to secure cremation or burial slots.
When a natural death takes place in a house, the head of household or the oldest male member present in the house is responsible for informing the BBMP and getting a local doctor to certify the cause of death. In case of a death that occurs outside a house, the police will get involved and do a post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death. After the confirmation, a local doctor will issue a death certificate. The BBMP will then get the body shifted to the ESI mortuary where they are supposed to be cremated.
But a recent incident at the ESI mortuary has thrown the entire process into disarray. As the family members of two victims waited for their loved ones to be cremated, the mortuary staff discovered that the bodies had been kept in freezers. This was in violation of the COVID-19 protocols that were prevailing during the time of their death. The Quint tried reaching out to the ESI Hospital authorities, but they did not respond to our queries.
Bengaluru’s Covid Overflow at Cremation Centres
In order to avoid a repeat of this incident, the BBMP has decided to set up four more cremation centres in Bengaluru. It has also announced waivers and incentives for families of victims and crematorium workers. It has asked the public to book their slots online. The BBMP has also instructed officials not to accept walk-in Covid-19 victims, or those who have died for non-Covid reasons, at their crematoriums.
Despite these steps, there is still a huge rush at bbmp cremation centres. According to TNIE, it can take as long as an hour for a body to be cremated or buried at some centres. The problem is compounded by the fact that there are not enough people to help with the process.
There are several complaints from the families of deceased persons that BBMP is not providing adequate assistance during this difficult time. In one case, the grieving family had to travel all the way from Ghati Subramanya to the Panathur cremation centre, despite it being the nearest crematorium for them. In another case, a worker at the Harishchandra Ghat cremation centre passed away due to COVID-19 and no compensation was paid to the family of the victim.
The BBMP should ensure that the families of the deceased are provided with proper support by making it easy for them to obtain the dead body’s ice box number and other details. The BBMP should also provide the workers with sanitizers to maintain their hygiene levels while handling the dead. The workers should also be provided with adequate housing.