COIMBATORE: Athupalam crematorium has come under scrutiny after the surfacing of complaints against its staff for allegedly overcharging families of Covid victims during the cremation of bodies.
A family member said that they were forced to pay Rs 4,000 (without a receipt), as against the tariff of Rs 1,250 per body set by Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation.
“We also paid Rs 500 each to two staff members outside CMCH mortuary as they kept demanding money,” the family member said. According to sources, the families of the victims are allegedly charged anywhere between Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,000 in violation of the civic body norms.
It may be noted that Athupalam crematorium was designated as a facility to cremate Covid victims.
Sources also alleged that families are also forced to grease the palm of “some” health workers for loading and unloading bodies of their loved ones from a mortuary van. “At a time when the families of Covid victims are grieving for the losses and even facing stigma at the community level, fleecing them at the crematorium is yet another reason to worry,” said a close relative of a deceased Covid victim said.
When contacted by TNIE, a staff of the crematorium refuted the allegations of overcharging. However, the staff asked families to volunteer to offer money to workers who handle the bodies. District Revenue Officer D Ramaduraimurugan told TNIE that he would look into the issue. Suggesting ways to address the issue, a health department official said that the crematorium must be designated only for Covid bodies.
“Presently, both Covid and non-Covid bodies are cremated there. Also, the number of mortuary vans must be increased. Presently, the facility has just one van,” the official said. According to sources, at least five to 10 bodies of Covid victims are cremated at the facility every day. The health workers disinfect the place where the body is cremated before and after the process to contain the spread of the virus, the source said.
Relatives are restricted from entering the cremation area as per the protocol, the source added.
Athupalam Crematorium