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> Subash Nagar Chita Asthal, another crematorium designated for COVID bodies, is also seeing a steep rise in the number of bodies in the past two-three weeks. The crematorium, which receives 4-5 bodies a day, has been receiving 35-40 bodies each day. From April 1 to 19, the last rites of 300 bodies were done with COVID protocols, say officials.
> Since Subash Nagar Chita Asthal is located in the heart of the city, the crematorium receives bodies from the nearest People’s, JK Hospital and AIIMS Hospital. The state government does not include private hospitals death data in their daily report.
> “A sharp jump has been seen in COVID-19 deaths in the past three weeks. Even during the first wave, we received 6-7 bodies a day, which has surged to 35-40 a day,” said Somraj Sukhwani, manager of Subhash Nagar crematorium.
> “I haven’t received a single penny promised by the then BMC commissioner Vijay Dutta for cremation of COVID bodies,” he added.
> The condition of Jadha graveyard, the lone burial ground designated to bury bodies of Muslims, is in no better condition. The problem is almost similar to crematoria.
> There is hardly any place left for new graves, payments of more than 100 bodies weren't made, as promised by the district officials, and labourers who dug the graves have got blisters on their hands.
> Between April 1 and 15, as many as 115 bodies were buried with COVID protocols. The graveyard, which was receiving 5-7 bodies a day, has been receiving 15-20 bodies since the past two-three weeks.
> Running out of place to bury the bodies, the Municipal Corporation has provided a JCB machine to the graveyard caretakers to flatten the rocky terrain and dig up the graves.
> Rehan Ahmad, caretaker of the burial ground, said he had written to the district collector to open another graveyard or provide the adjacent Wakf land to bury the bodies. “There is no place to bury new bodies. I have made my demand to the Collector. Besides, there is a patch of rocky land on the right corner of the ground. Hence, with the help of JCB, we are trying to remove the rocks and make new burial grounds,” Rehan said, adding that “we are keeping 10-15 dug graves ready in advance”.
> The crematoria, graveyards are working day and night to perform the last rites of the people who are dying of COVID-19. Nearly 1,000 such bodies were disposed of in April, yet, government data says less than 50 people have died in April.