More than a year after overcrowded crematoriums across the twin-city of Mira-Bhayandar painted a horrifying picture of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) is now staring at a peculiar situation. Ashes of several people who succumbed to the infection continue to remain unclaimed at crematoriums. In some cases, ashes of several members of the same family still lie unclaimed.

When the pandemic was at its peak last year, several bodies had arrived for cremation. However, many of them were not accompanied by family members due to fear of infection. The last rites for these victims were done by the civic staff and ashes were carefully preserved in urns (marked with the name of the deceased and the date of cremation) so that families could come later to collect them.

Confirming this, deputy municipal commissioner Ajit Muthe said a decision on the time-frame of preserving the ashes will be taken after consultation with the municipal commissioner. Some of the urns containing ashes have been lying unclaimed since May 2020. It is likely that the civic administration may decide to shoulder the responsibility of immersing the ashes. While the total death count in the twin-city due to Covid-19 reached 1,371 till October 25, the case fatality rate stands at 2.54 per cent.