Civic body allows cremation of Covid victims at Digha Ghat in Patna

PATNA: The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) is creating buffer stock of wood to meet the increased demand with the number of coronavirus deaths rising leading to long queues of corpses at the city’s three crematoriums at Bans Ghat, Gulbi Ghat and Khajekalan Ghat for their last rites.
To minimise the long waiting hours, the PMC has allowed cremation at Digha ghat as well. Bans ghat was designated for cremation of Covid victims while the other three crematoriums are managing the funeral of non-Covid deaths also.
Additional municipal commissioner Devendra Prasad Tiwari told this newspaper that on an average 70-80 bodies of Covid victims were being cremated. “The electric crematorium apart, a large stock of wood is available at all four ghats for pyres in case there is any technical snag in e-crematorium,” he said.
As per the PMC data, 133 bodies, including 84 of Covid victims, were cremated at the four ghats in the last 24 hours, with the maximum 47 at Bans Ghat. At least 34 Covid victims were cremated at Gulbi Ghat and three at Khajekalan Ghat.
Pratibha, the executive officer of Patliputra Circle, said it takes around 60 minutes to cremate one body in e-crematorium. “We have two e-crematoriums at Bans Ghat, which operate round-the-clock,” she said and added: “About 40 bodies can be cremated in 24 hours on both the e-crematoriums while two hours break is necessary for maintenance to ensure that the furnace would not break down or melt due to overheating and also to clear the ashes.”
Raj Kumar, in-charge of Bans Ghat, said the pressure to cremate the bodies has been slightly reduced with the other three ghats also managing the funeral of Covid victims. “At Bans Ghat, we have 21 staff to manage the funeral. We have stocked up wood for pyre, so that people do not have to wait. About 22 quintals (2,240kg) of wood are used per day,” he said.
State health department’s data shows around 23.8% rise in Covid causalities in the district in one week. However, the number of pyres and funerals on e-crematorium was much higher. As per the health department, the maximum 29 people died of Covid in Patna in a day about a couple of days back.
Tiwari said the executive officers and city managers have been made nodal officers of their respective circles to ensure that mortuary van is provided to those who died of Covid-19 while undergoing treatment in home isolation. “On Saturday, the civic body provided mortuary van to 26 households in three circles -- 14 in Kankarbagh, 11 in New Capital and one in Patna City,” he said.
The executive officer of Bankipore circle, Devendra Suman, said the civic body has coordinated with the district health team and provided mortuary vans to people who lost their loved ones at home.
Piyush Kumar, a resident of Buddha Colony, said the number of pyres at Bans Ghat was like never before.
Meanwhile, Shahganj kabristan (graveyard) has been identified for the burial of Covid-19 victims.