As many as 150 unknown and unclaimed bodies lying in a highly decomposed state in Osmania General Hospital (OGH) mortuary are creating a problem to patients visiting the hospital by emanating foul smell.
To dispose the bodies, the GHMC has decided to call for ‘Expression of Interest’ from NGOs and other agencies dealing with lifting and cremation of dead bodies. The agencies were asked to submit EoI before this month end.
Bodies are getting piled up at OGH as residents of Amberpet are not allowing cremation of decomposed bodies at the electrical crematorium due to the nauseating smell.
The highly decomposed bodies have been lying in the Osmania mortuary for three months. Generally, bodies should be cremated within 3-4 days after death.
When contacted, GHMC officials admitted that many unclaimed bodies were piling up in Osmania. They said that they have invited EoI from NGOs and other agencies connected with cremation. On an average, both Osmania and Gandhi hospitals, get five unclaimed bodies every day and it takes 1-2 hours to burn a body in an electric crematorium. Even the Satya Harishchandra Foundation, an NGO that was given a contract by GHMC to cremate unclaimed bodies, is facing stiff resistance from local residents against disposal of bodies at Amberpet. Foundation secretary K Mahesh Kumar said they have stopped lifting and cremating unclaimed bodies at Osmania general hospital because of stiff resistance from the management committees of graveyards.
However, on a daily basis, the foundation is cremating 2-3 unclaimed bodies at Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar electrical crematorium which are being lifted from Gandhi and Chest hospitals.