Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) has expressed serious concerns over reports of the State government’s plans to set up five new LPG-based crematoria in Hyderabad in view of the rising number of coronavirus cases.

TPCC treasurer Gudur Narayana Reddy, quoting media reports, said that the government was planning to install LPG-fuelled crematoria at Charminar, Khairatabad, Secunderabad, Uppal and Kukatpally zones with a capacity to cremate 12 bodies a day and these were expected to be ready in the next two weeks. The government’s move is raising eyebrows as the COVID death toll in the State, according to the official bulletin, had not exceeded 15 so far, he said.

He sought to know from the government whether making arrangements to cremate 60 more bodies every day in addition to the existing facilities was an indication of the worsening situation.

“Governments that do not establish hospitals for improving the public healthcare system end up building crematoria,” Mr. Narayana Reddy said, adding sarcastically that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao would be remembered as the leader who did nothing to save people’s lives but made arrangements for their last rites.

The Congress leader felt that the CM should have dedicated all resources to handle the situation in the initial stages itself. Instead, he had focussed on diverting people’s attention and hiding the actual numbers of COVID cases and deaths. He pointed out that the government was not upgrading hospitals and strengthening the healthcare infrastructure in spite of rise in the number of positive cases and deaths.

Mr. Narayana Reddy attributed the death of several COVID patients in government hospitals due to lack of oxygen support. He alleged that the details of infrastructure and bed occupancy in government hospitals being given in the daily bulletin were incorrect and misleading.

“As per the official bulletin, there were 18,547 active cases as on August 1 till 8 p.m., with 12,001 getting treatment in home/institutional isolation. It means that a total of 6,546 are admitted to hospitals. However, the bulletin says that only 2,397 beds, including 829 isolation, 1,298 oxygen and 270 ICU beds, were occupied in government hospitals, indicating that people are preferring private hospitals for COVID treatment as 4,149 patients were getting treated in 94 private hospitals,” the TPCC leader explained.

In spite of the government’s claims that 15,810 beds were vacant in its hospitals, many patients were being denied admission or being subjected to mental harassment, forcing them to approach private hospitals, he noted.