Bodies of Telangana workers lying in Gulf morgues

U Sudhakar Reddy | TNN | Updated: Apr 27, 2020, 07:59 IST

Representative image

HYDERABAD: Mortal remains of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) have been stuck in the Gulf countries for weeks due to the Covid-19 lockdown regulations. Several dead bodies of workers from Telangana could not be flown back as special permission and required certificates have to be obtained from the Gulf authorities.
In the UAE alone, the mortal remains of five workers from the state, who died due to cardiac arrest or in accidents, are lying in mortuaries.

“My nephew Bathini Ravi died in Oman as he fell from a building that was under construction. We have written a letter to the Indian Embassy in Muscat seeking completion of formalities and issue of NOC to airlift his mortal remains to India. We had submitted the letter on April 23,” said Bathini Sadhan, a resident of Yousufnagar in Kortula mandal of Jagityal district.
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued strict guidelines for the repatriation of dead bodies due to the Covid-19 situation.
Manda Bheem Reddy, president of Gulf Emigrants Forum, told TOI, “Several dead bodies are lying in mortuaries in the Gulf. Due to the lockdown, we don’t exactly know how many.”
Meanwile, Airport public health officials at Hyderabad airport said that they hadn’t received any mortal remains during the lockdown. Public health officer at Hyderabad airport, Dr Anuradha Medoju, told TOI, “We are not allowing the mortal remains of any person who died due to coronavirus. Regarding non-coronavirus deaths, the family is required to obtain the cause of death and embalmment certificate from the health ministry of the respective country and NOC from the Indian Embassy there. Bodies of those who died due to communicable diseases are not repatriated.”