Cremations, burials rise in Prayagraj
PRAYAGRAJ : Amidst rising cases of Covid and deaths due to it, mismanagement and delays at cremation grounds are also come to fore in Prayagraj. Be it Rasoolabad and Daraganj ghats located within the city limits or Shankardhal, Chatnagh or Dasaswamedh ghat on the outskirts, people are forced to wait for long to cremate the mortal remains of their loved ones.
Around 850 cremations have taken place at various ghats of the district besides more than 135 burials in Muslim graveyards and around a dozen in Christian cemeteries during the last 10 days. Though, the exact cause of the sudden spurt in the number of deaths remains unclear as district medical and health officials have reported only eight to 12 deaths per day due to Covid-19 during the past week, those manning the cremation sites claim that the count of dead bodies coming to the ghats has more than doubled during the past one week or so. “Till the festival of Holi (March 29) we used to witness 10 to 15 dead bodies coming here each day. However, since Holi, we are witnessing 30 bodies coming for cremation on an average while on certain days the number rises up to 35 even,” claimed Kameshwar Nishad, a member of Shrimati Maharajin Bua Seva Samiti that manages cremations at Rasoolabad Ghat.
He said many bodies coming for cremation could be Covid positive but with no tests done and the kin remaining tightlipped there was no way to find out the truth. He also said the Rasoolabad ghat could cater to cremation of 10 bodies at a time and it took 3 to 4 hours for a body to get cremated.
However, with 30 to35 bodies coming each day now, funeral pyres were also being set up close to riverbank and river water being poured on the ashes for their quick cooling down so that next cremation can take place. “The cremations begin from morning and continue till 8.30pm each day now,” he added. “My father died due to a heart attack on Wednesday. We came for the cremation at around 11 am today and it’s been over two-and-a-half hours but we are still waiting for our turn,” said Ankur Srivastva, a resident of Preetam Nagar.
In Prayagraj, the cremation of those dying owing to Covid-19 are being performed at Phahamau ghat as per Covid-19 protocol by the district health officials. At the electric crematorium located at Shankardhal also, people have to wait in queue for hours to cremate their loved ones.
“Against 90 bodies that we used to cremate in a month before Holi, we have touched 150 already in mere 15 days of April,” claimed Jwala Prasad who runs the electric crematorium.