Bhubaneswar: Taking note of the rising number of bodies accumulating near Satya Nagar crematorium here and the difficulties faced by locals, the civic body, Monday, declared that it will come up with two more crematoriums in the Capital city.
Briefing the media, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Prem Chandra Chaudhary said that the BMC will ensure setting up of two more crematoriums – one in Patia and another in Khandagiri – to reduce the burden on the existing crematorium at Satya Nagar.
“Number of cremations at Satya Nagar crematorium has gone up abnormally due to Covid-19 deaths. Besides, the crematorium is also receiving more bodies as the Puri district administration has banned cremation of bodies coming outside the district at Swargadwar to contain the spread of the virus,” Chaudhary said.
The Commissioner also mentioned that while the crematorium at Patia will be gas-based, the Khandagiri one will run on electricity. Sources at BMC said that the move has come soon after Ladies Forum of Satyanagar moved the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) alleging rise in a number of cremations (both Covid and non-Covid cases) which was causing air pollution in the vicinity.
It is worth mentioning here that Orissa POST had earlier reported that the Capital Hospital had been receiving more than 15 bodies every day and most of them were found to be Covid-19 cases. The hospital has recorded a 35 per cent rise in the patient inflow as various local medicals including sub-divisional hospitals in the periphery of the city are referring patients to the Capital Hospital. Furthermore, the dysfunctional electric furnace at Satya Nagar crematorium had made things worse. A source at BMC also said that the civic body has been cremating nearly 25 bodies every day without using an electric furnace. Moreover, relatives of patients who died due to the novel coronavirus are either not reporting or coming very late due to the fear of getting infected.
However, responding to the issues, Chaudhary said, “The electric furnace at Satya Nagar has been restored. We are aware of the problem but rest assured things will improve once cremation of dead bodies from other districts is allowed in Puri. In the meantime, we are focusing on completing the work for the two crematoriums in the city within 45 days.”
