Shivaji Park locals protest cremation virus +ve bodies

The Shivaji Park crematorium, which is at the heart of Mumbai's one of the most densely populated locality - Dadar, witnesses cremation of more than twenty patients per day. Ever since the Novel coronavirus pandemic took over the maximum city, the administrations of the King Edward Memorial (KEM) hospital and Lokmanya Tilak municipal hospital, Sion have been sending bodies of patients succumbed to COVID-19, to Shivaji Park for cremation.

This has disgruntled the local residents living adjacent to this area stating, this is affecting their health severely.

On Monday afternoon, the residents living at Shivaji Park premises held a silent protest at the Shivaji Park, protesting the cremation of COVID-19 patients in their residential area.

The residents complained, civic officials don't adhere to the sanitation guidelines and throw away te gloves and masks on the road which may be hazardous for their health. Sushil Kadge a resident of a building adjacent to the crematorium claimed, the ashes of dead bodies accumulate on the terrace of nearby buildings, putting the health of residents at risk. The thick smoke is affecting many residents of Shivaji Park.

"There are senior citizens who stay nearby, often the ashes accumulate at the terrace and in case there is a strong wind it gets driven to the nearby windows. This is causing a severe health hazard to the residents" Khadge stated.

"We are protesting the fact, why only the Shivaji Park is being used for cremation process, while there are other crematoriums nearby the big hospitals" said Mayuresh More, a resident.

"The ambulances carrying dead bodies from KEM and Sion hospitals bring 4-5 bodies in one trip. The civic body doesn't adhere to sanitation policies and often the workers throw away gloves and masks on the road" More added. Another resident told, they have been on protest for the last one month, as the cremation of COVID-19 bodies is causing serious threat to the localities and the administration is overlooking the fact.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have showed support to the silent protest of the residents. MNS has also written to assistant municipal commissioner, G-North Kiran Dighavkar and highlighted the problems.

“When there are crematoriums available in each ward, why is the BMC overloading this Shivaji Park crematorium with COVID-19 dead bodies. Many residents have developed skin diseases and asthmatic problems recently skin diseases recently and the civic body needs to take a stand on this immediately" stated MNS leader, Shrikant Bhoite told FPJ.