Covid horror: Rs 70,000 for cremation singes families of dead in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: The last thing you want to do when your loved one has just died is to haggle. But in the middle of the second wave of the pandemic, many people in Hyderabad are being forced to haggle and pay hefty amounts to crematorium caretakers to have the final rites of their family members performed.
The government rules are clear. Final rites of a person who dies in a government hospital are conducted for free. For those who die in private hospitals, not more than Rs 8,000 can be charged at cremation grounds. And yet people are paying anywhere between Rs 25,000 and Rs 70,000 for each cremation. The money is, of course, paid in cash and there is no receipt.

“We were told that it would cost about Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 for the cremation,” said a woman, who lost her husband to Covid-19 in the first week of May at Gandhi Hospital. The lady said that the mediator did not confirm where the body would be taken for cremation, but added that there are many formalities to be taken care of and that they cannot dispose of the body for less.
Another man, who lost his father in the second wave of the pandemic at Government General and Chest Hospital, was asked to pay Rs 70,000 for the cremation.

“My father died a day after he was admitted to the hospital. When we enquired about cremation at the hospital, they quoted Rs 70,000,” said the man, a resident of Yousufguda.
“People were indeed charged up to Rs 25,000 for Covid-19 cremations until last month, but we recently organised a meeting and asked the crematorium workers to not collect more than Rs 8, 000 in case a person died at private hospitals,” said R Upender, zonal commissioner, LB Nagar. “For those who died at government hospitals and unclaimed bodies, cremations are conducted for free. We have also directed them to conduct cremations free of cost to those hailing from economically backward families by using donated wood or gas crematoriums.”
But NGOs, helping families with Covid-19 final rites, say that they still receive quite a few calls from families enquiring about cremations saying that they can’t afford to pay exorbitant amounts.

“My team has cremated at least 180 people, who succumbed to Covid-19 at government hospitals. The families, who hardly have money to get their family members treated, are being asked to shell out thousands for cremations and burials,” said Syed Jalaluddin Zafar, president, Youth Welfare Telangana. He said that this is one of the main reasons why bodies are piling up at government hospitals in the city and elsewhere.
Srinivas Bellam of NGO Feed the Needy said that crematorium caretakers claim that Rs 25, 000 is the price fixed by the government for cremating Covid-19 dead bodies. “Staff at hospitals pass contact numbers to families saying these belong to municipal officials. These people don’t quote less than Rs 25,000,” he said.

V Mamatha, zonal commissioner, Kukatpally, said that cremations at electrical crematoriums are also performed free of cost and added that she hasn’t received any complaint about overcharging.