JAIPUR: Political tensions are escalating in Rajasthan over the handling of deaths due to the recent heat wave. Various media reports claim that over 100 people have died due to the heat wave in Rajasthan this season.
Over the past week alone, more than 60 people have succumbed to the extreme heat. However, the government is denying these claims, declaring that the deaths were due to natural causes or other factors.
Now Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasara, on Friday, accused the BJP-led state government of concealing the true death toll.
He also raised concerns about the disposal of unclaimed bodies. Dotasara took to X and stated, "The BJP government, which has completely failed in managing the scorching heat and heat wave deaths, is now committing the sin of hiding the death figures to avoid giving compensation to the deceased after the High Court order."
Dotasara further claimed, "There is shocking information from SMS Hospital (state's prominent government hospital in Jaipur). About 40 unclaimed bodies are in the mortuary due to heat wave deaths. Every day, 20-25 unknown bodies arrive at the mortuary. To avoid giving compensation, the government is attributing these deaths to other causes and conducting post-postmortems within three days."
In response to these allegations, Disaster Relief Minister Kirori Lal Meena of the Bhajan Lal government stated that current regulations do not provide for compensation for deaths caused by heat waves or extreme cold.
He also mentioned his intention to have a meeting with Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to appeal for the central government to revise disaster relief regulations to cover this type of compensation. He made these remarks during a press conference at the Secretariat on Friday. Notably, the Rajasthan High Court has already directed the state government to compensate families for heat wave deaths.
It is worth noting that Minister Meena was the first leader within the government to acknowledge the heat wave deaths, creating an uncomfortable situation for the Bhajan Lal administration, which had been denying these deaths.
Meanwhile, the Medical Department maintains that media reports on the death toll are inaccurate. Dr. Ravi Prakash Mathur, Director of Public Health, stated, "The numbers of deaths due to heat wave being published or broadcast in various media are beyond facts. The authentic figures are released by the Medical and Health Department after investigation by the Death Audit Committee, following Government of India protocols."