PANAJI
Goa, perhaps has the highest number of mortuary cabinets in Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), even surpassing the largest hospital, AIIMS in Delhi but bureaucratic red-tape continues to create hurdles in cremating unidentified and unclaimed bodies.
With over 30 bodies, including those of foreigners, lying in the morgues at GMCH and South Goa District Hospital; two Nigerian convicts of drug peddling were finally cremated after a wait of nearly eight years. Drug convicts Paul Ozomen -- who died while serving a jail term at Aguada Central Jail on December 31, 2016 -- and his compatriot Ezemillar, who died at Colvale Jail on January 16, 2019, were unclaimed in the GMCH mortuary.
Sources revealed to The Goan that lack of coordination among government agencies, particularly officials in the district Collectorates and the police besides miscommunication and failure by higher authorities to follow up on these cases, have led to the piling up of the bodies. Quite a few have been lying for over a year.
Bills amounting to lakhs of rupees are allegedly pending as the local bodies have not received payment from the administration to facilitate the final rites.
For example, the Corporation of City of Panaji charges Rs 3,000 to conduct the final rites of each body, for which bills are sent to the Collectorate. "Bills till last year have been cleared but those from January are pending without which further procedures cannot take place,” sources said.
With lack of communication, there’s also a prevailing confusion over which authority would conduct the final rites of the bodies with some panchayats alleging shortage of funds.
In 2020 when the district administration took charge of the disposal of bodies during the COVID-19 pandemic, using the disaster management funds, there was a misinterpretation that this responsibility would continue. This led to non-coordination and subsequent bureaucratic red tapism.
Sources further stated that joint meetings of government stakeholders were recently scheduled, but only the North Goa meeting took place on May 24, while the South Goa meeting was postponed.
“There is a shifting of goals... money from the district administration is slow or non-existent to the local bodies,” the source alleged.
Officials from the Collectorate in North were unavailable for comments. Head of Forensic Department (GMC) Andre Fernandes and Associate Professor, Forensic in SGDH Dr Madhu Ghodkirekar conceded to the non-coordination between the district administration, police and the local bodies resulting in the delay.
“When the concerned PSIs who are the Investigating Officers for the particular Unnatural Death case are transferred, the PI of the respective Police Station must not relieve the PSI till he has disposed the body and has collected the viscera and material of his particular Unnatural Death if so preserved by the Autopsy Doctor. The next PSI states that he doesn't know anything about the particular Unnatural death. This is the main reason for the delay in disposing of bodies, besides non-coordination among related agencies,” Fernandes said.
GMCH’s mortuary contains 108 cabinets in addition to 21 for mass casualty. Of these, majority are occupied with unclaimed bodies. About cases in the South, eight bodies registered at Maina Curtorim and Margao police stations were cremated by the respective panchayats, this week.
