KMC wants Covid-19 cremation protocol change after dip in cases – Times of India

Kolkata: A senior member in Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s Board of Administrators (BoA), Atin Ghosh, who looks after the civic body’s health department, has placed a proposal to the BoA for introducing Covid cremation at all major crematoriums located across the city in phases.
According to Ghosh, he had long been planning to include all major crematoriums on list to make the Covid cremation easier for the family as well as the civic body. A Calcutta High Court directive makes it mandatory for the civic body to allow six members of a Covid victim’s family at the burning ghats at the time of performing the last rites.
If the KMC BoA approves Ghosh’s proposal, civic body’s health department will issue necessary instructions to officials at all major crematoriums that include Keoratola, Siriti, Garia, Cossipore, to arrange for cremation of Covid victims. Currently, Covid victims are being cremated at three KMC-run crematoriums — Dhapa, Nimtolla (old complex) and Birjunala at Garden Reach.
When former Rabindra Bhawan (Visva-Bharati) director and a member of Sahitya Academy, Swapan Majumdar, died of Covid-19 last month, his family had a harrowing time, waiting at Nimtolla Covid-designate burning ghat for cremation. Recalling the long serpentine queue for cremation on that night, one of Majumdar’s family members, Manabranjan Dutta, told TOI that it seemed an endless wait for cremation of a dear and near one. Dutta said they were told that since Dhapa crematorium was not properly functioning on that day, the queue at Nimtolla grew longer.
The KMC BoA member said he was trying to ensure that all city crematoriums open their doors to cremation of Covid victims. Ghosh said crematoriums in all other towns across Bengal are not refusing Covid victims any more. “Now it has been proved that if bodies are wrapped properly they can’t infect anyone. Then why should the Covid cremations be barred at city’s major crematoriums?” he asked.
KMC had tried to introduce Covid cremation at some crematoriums in May. But, efforts were thwarted by residents who feared that they would get infected.