Funeral services step in for final rites as curbs keep families away
NEW DELHI: With the daily Covid-19 death toll in the city staying above 300 for the past five days, and with travel restrictions to India imposed by several countries, funeral organisers in the Capital are stepping up to ensure that people get a respectable farewell even if their loved ones cannot make it for the last rites.
These funeral service providers are not just assisting families in making arrangements, but in several cases, are performing rituals in the absence of family members.
Several funeral organisers across the city said there has been a rise in requests from people living abroad, or currently stuck in other cities, to take care of the last rites of their loved ones. Funeral organisers are offering packages -- ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹20,000 -- which cover services such as organising a hearse van to pick up the body, arranging materials for the rituals, finding a priest, and getting space in a crematorium or burial ground where the finals rites can take place.
Some of them also provide the service free to families who cannot afford the charges.
Officials at some burial grounds and crematoriums also said they have seen several such “lonely” last journeys.
Mohammad Shamim, the supervisor of Delhi’s biggest burial ground at ITO, said, “There have been several cases when no one was there to even help us put the body in the grave. It feels really bad seeing people die such lonely deaths.”