Profiteering Over Dead Bodies During The Pandemic?
Anukriti is a student who dabbles in writing when she finds time.
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By Anukriti Roy
First publised on 2021-04-19 09:30:25
About the Author
Anukriti is a student who dabbles in writing when she finds time.
View all posts by this Author
The death toll due to Covid-19 is increasing every day. Although the infrastructure to give the dead a proper burial or cremation is stretched, it is abominable that some caretakers of cremation grounds in UP are trying to fleece relatives when they come with dead bodies. In a report in The Times of India today, it has been reported that across UP, 'managers' at cremation sites are asking people to pay much more than the usual rate for the cremation. Although the administration in Varanasi has said that it has fixed the rate at Rs 5000 for normal deaths and Rs 7000 for people dying of Covid if they choose wood and Rs 500 for electric crematorium, there are reports of people being charged anywhere between Rs 15000 and Rs 30000.
On their part, the caretakers have said that with bodies coming in unending piles, they are having a hard time procuring wood and other materials which have become scarce and costlier than before. They say that they are not overcharging but recovering costs along with normal professional fees for services rendered. The administration needs to look into the matter and ensure that adequate supply of wood and other material needed for performing last rites of the dead are made available at reasonable rates and in adequate quantities to cope up with the increasing number of dead bodies being brought to cremation grounds.
It is our failure as a nation if we pile more misery and pain on people who have lost their near and dear ones due to the pandemic. Since dead bodies cannot be kept for long, the relatives have no alternative but to pay astronomical sums for the cremation. It has been reported that some people have been made to pay Rs 30000 for cremating a body. Profiteering over dead bodies is unethical and the administration must ensure that the dead are given a proper send-off without unnecessarily burdening their kin.
