INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
HYDERABAD: It took Chief Minister K
Chandrasekhar Rao's admonishment for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) authorities to finally provide instructions to
graveyards about collecting only the specified user charges from households for performing the last rites of their dead, whether the cause
of death is Covid-19 or otherwise.There have been many grievances given that March this year about crematoria gathering big amounts, often
varying from Rs 80,000 to Rs 1.2 lakh, for cremating those who pass away after contracting Coronavirus
Families felt this was godawful, especially after they have actually currently paid substantial amounts to hospitals while attempting to
Many complaints had actually been lodge through different platforms but GHMC authorities remained unconcerned to what is happening.It all
changed after the Chief Minister held a review meeting on Friday after checking out the MGM Medical facility in Warangal
At the conference, he brought up officials of GHMC, including commissioner Lokesh Kumar, as well as those of municipal administration and
metropolitan development (MA&UD) department over the state of affairs
The Chief Minister instructed them to act right away and regulate user charges at graveyards and crematoriums
This resulted in a cascading effect, with GHMC zonal commissioners asked to check graveyards and crematoriums and ensure that user charges
are being gathered based on standards
Zonal commissioners have performed inspections and presented for a few images too at the crematoriums.However, Deccan Chronicle has
discovered that user charges at all major crematoriums and graveyards remained the exact same on Saturday too, with no relief to kin of the
deceased.Commenting on the issue, a senior GHMC authorities, requesting privacy, stated federal government has actually fixed cremation
rates as Rs 8,000 for cremating a dead body on wooden pyre and Rs 4,000 in case they are gotten rid of in electric crematoriums
User charges will be the exact same whether bodies are of Covid-19 or non-Covid-19 deceased
Nevertheless, if the body is that of a Coronavirus patient, crematoria staff will need to follow the Covid-19 procedure of hand health and
using PPEs while dealing with bodies
The official stated if managements of graveyards and crematoriums collect any service charges, corporation authorities would schedule
criminal cases against such people.
