MARGAO
Intervention of South Goa district Collector, Ruchika Katyal, IAS saw the Margao Municipal Council disposing of two of the four Covid bodies that have been lying at the South Goa district hospital beyond 72 hours.
The remaining two bodies are scheduled to be disposed of on Wednesday by the civic body, with sources saying that the municipality has also undertaken to dispose the 11 non-Covid bodies lying in the mortuary.
Sources said the authorities have also assured to resolve the issue of pending payments to the civic body towards the disposal of the bodies at the earliest.
MMC sources informed that after the district Collector’s intervention, Margao Municipal Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes got two of the four Covid bodies disposed of on Tuesday. While the Municipality had cited requisitioning of staff dealing with the disposal of the bodies for the delay in disposing of the bodies, apart from the issue of non-payment, sources said the concerned staff were relieved from the election duties, who later set in motion the process to dispose of the two Covid bodies.
The four Covid bodies, believed to be beggars, have been lying at the hospital mortuary beyond 72-hours, with the authorities insisting for the early disposal of the bodies in view of the worsening Covid situation.
Sources informed that the hospital authorities have put a system in place to dispose of the Covid bodies within 72 hours to ensure there’s no pile up of bodies in the mortuary in times of Covid.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat in a statement has said it was horrific to know that the bankrupt BJP government headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has no money even to dispose of unclaimed bodies lying in the mortuary at Margao.
He urged the South Goa District Collector to immediately give orders for the disposal of the same, volunteering to personally make all necessary arrangements for their respectful cremation.
“It is sad and disgusting to understand that the unclaimed dead bodies including some of Covid infected have piled up in the mortuaries as government has failed to make payments to the Margao Municipal Council for their disposal. Government needs to be sensitive with the current situation and act wisely,” he said.
Kamat added: “Last year, I had personally monitored the arrangements at Margao crematorium for cremation of Covid infected bodies with the help of late Narayan Pai Fondekar of Mathgramastha Hindu Sabha. It is now the duty of the government to ensure that disposals of unclaimed bodies including those of Covid infected are done in time.”
He appealed to the government to take everyone into confidence and come out with a proper action plan in handling current crisis of spread of Covid infections and rising number of deaths.
