Calls seeking help overwhelm Coimbatore TMMK volunteers

COIMBATORE: Amid the second wave of the pandemic, the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) in Coimbatore continues to offer decent burials and cremations to Covid-19 victims. Compared to the first wave, according to a spokesperson of the organisation, there is an increase in the number of calls from families  of victims, seeking help for a burial/cremation of their loved ones. But they could attend only so many of them.

TMMK’s district joint secretary Ashik Ahmaed told Express they offered cremation/burials to 230 Covid victims, irrespective of their religion, since last year. The organisation formed seven teams with eight members each to take care of the procedure across the district.

“We offered the service for free to a majority of the 230 cases as the families were poor. In such conditions, we do not demand transportation cost for shifting the body to the cremation/burial ground. For transporting bodies in our ambulances, the cost a km is around Rs 15,” Ashik said. The organization bore expenses to hire earthmovers to dig pits to bury the bodies; the relatives had to pay only the fees for getting space for burial.

At the Covid Nivarana Mayyam in Kottaimedu, members of the organisation would attend calls seeking help and provide kabasura kudineer (herbal concoction) to the public. “We get nearly 100 calls at the help desk. Of the 20 calls seeking help for burial and cremation, we can offer the service to only 10, given the current situation,” he said.

As a precaution against the infection, Ashik said all the members rendering the service have undergone vaccination and take medicines to develop immunity. He said they do not charge the relatives for personal-protective equipment (PPE)kits, and facemasks their members wear while burying Covid-19 victims.