Amit Bathla
Tribune News Service
Panchkula, April 29

With Covid deaths climbing in the district, as many as 13 bodies were cremated at the Sector 20 crematorium, just one short of its capacity.

MC officials said they had been intimated about 23 deaths but they received only 13 bodies at the crematorium. Due to an alarming surge of Covid-related deaths, it has been decided to fully or partially reserve the crematoriums across the district for Covid victims.

Only Covid victims will be cremated at the Sector 20 crematorium. A civic body official said a gasifier chamber at the Sector 20 crematorium was ready to use. As many as eight bodies could be cremated at the facility in a day, the official said. As per the civic body, they require 200 quintal of woodlogs to cremate Covid bodies each day.

MC Commissioner RK Singh said to reduce the burden on the Sector 20 crematorium, they have increased the capacity of the Sector 28 crematorium to 40. Even though the Sector 28 crematorium has only six sheds, the bodies will be burnt on newly built platforms in the open. He said an LPG crematorium in Kalka with a capacity to cremate 10 Covid bodies each day was also in use.

Meanwhile, four sheds at a crematorium in Ramgarh have been reserved for Covid bodies.