Unclaimed bodies pile up at mortuary

Limited space for burials in local cremation grounds has reportedly led to the pile of around ten bodies which are lying unclaimed at the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) morgue in Bhayandar for over three months.

Apart from catering to the needs of six police stations in the region including Uttan, Bhayandar, Mira Road, Navghar, Naya Nagar and Kashimira, the lone postmortem centre located in the premises of the Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi ( Tembha) Hospital in Bhayandar shoulders an additional responsibility of handling railway accident cases that occur in and around the region.

The morgue adjacent to the post-mortem center has a single room with freezer facilities, which can accommodate only 21 bodies at a time.

However for the past more than three months ten bodies are preserved here pending identification. The disposal period can be stretched to a maximum of 15 days, this apart from exceptional cases.

Although MBMC claims to have informed the local police stations about disposal of the bodies, it is the lack of space at their own burial grounds which has apparently led to the delay, sources said.

After post-mortem, the unidentified body is kept in the mortuary following which photograph’s and description is sent to all nearby police stations and the missing persons bureau. The police then wait, for concerned kin to come forward, identify, and claim the body.