The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : A ‘grave’ issue

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Monday, Oct 08, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

A ‘grave’ issue

Special Correspondent

Unclaimed bodies pile up in hospitals

Local people thwarting work of crematorium, complaining of stench
Corporation unable to make use of 480 burial and cremation grounds

HYDERABAD: While it struggles to provide qualitative services to the living, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is also confronted with problems of the dead.

It is caught with a cleft stick with pile up of unclaimed bodies in various Government hospitals and opposition from public representatives in disposing them off.

Protests

There are two electric crematoria under its jurisdiction, at Bansilalpet and another at Amberpet.

But, efforts to run both facilities round the clock to dispose these bodies has run into rough weather with local people, strongly supported by Secunderabad MLA T. Padma Rao, has been protesting and successfully thwarting such work in Bansilalpet because of the accompanying stench.

Here at least a dozen bodies can be taken care of if run for all 24 hours.

There is no issue with Amberpet where such bodies are being disposed round the clock but it has a capacity to take of four to five bodies only, officials say.

Unclaimed bodies have been piling up at the Osmania and Gandhi general hospitals, Government Chest hospital and the Institute of Mental Health.

Land sites

The Corporation is planning to write to the revenue division officials of the Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy district collectorates to help it identify appropriate land sites for setting up at least one modern crematorium for two circles for disposing unclaimed bodies.

Yet, that can only be a permanent solution and GHMC has a serious issue at hand to tackle.

Although all the 480 burial and cremation grounds belong to it, the Corporation is unable to make use of them since they are under the control of different organisations and communities.

Solution

“We are trying to use the other available places but we will have to convince the communities first,” said an official.

GHMC is mulling to outsource disposal of such bodies, allocate two exclusive vehicles for the work and also hike the charges being paid for it for speedier work.

However, it still has to come up with an immediate solution acceptable to all.

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