NEW DELHI: The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has enhanced capacity at all nine crematoriums and graveyards for the last rites of COVID victims. Officials said that more platforms had been reserved for COVID-related cremations.
“Earlier, all crematoriums could handle 289 bodies per day. Their capacity has been augmented to 365. 289 are now reserved for COVID-affected bodies. There are 229 wooden platforms and 30 CNG based platforms available for COVID victims,” said an official.
Crematoriums or graveyards under the jurisdiction of SDMC are located at Punjabi Bagh, Hastsal, Subhash Nagar, Lodhi Road, Sarai Kale Khan, Lal Kuan, ITO (Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg), Dwarka Sector 24 and Green Park. The CNG-based cremation facility is available at Punjabi Bagh, Subhash Nagar, Lodhi Road and Green Park crematoriums.
On Friday, booking for cremation at Subhash Nagar site was closed given the influx of bodies. A senior SDMC official, privy to the arrangement, said that the Subhash Nagar site is equipped to deal with 50 cremations. Hence, booking is stopped after accepting requisite requests.
“It is better not to accept booking beyond capacity. The cremation sites coordinate with the hospitals attached to it and accept booking as per capacity,” he said.
On Thursday, 229 funerals took place at crematoriums and graveyards under SDMC with 31 at Subhash Nagar.
The official added that for convenience and safety of people coming for funerals, special focus is on sanitation and sanitisation as chances of COVID spread is more at these centres.
“To ensure sanitation and sanitisation in a scientific manner, trained staff have been deployed and proper arrangements of green and blue dustbins have also been made so waste segregation could take place in proper manners. Makeshift tents are being made available for relatives and families of the deceased,” he said.
Facility to perform last rites of non-COVID patients has been segregated and available at one reserved end corner at these cremation centres or graveyards, added the official. “This arrangement has been made to minimise the spread of COVID-19,” he said.