NEW DELHI: The last rites of a 68-year-old woman who died in the national capital of coronavirus were delayed for a few hours on Saturday as the authorities at the CNG crematorium at Nigambodh Ghat initially refused to cremate the body to seek the advice of municipal and medical authorities. Doctors from the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and from MCD had to be called and it was only after they intervened that the cremation could take place.
The crematorium is run by the Nigambodh Ghat Sanchalan Samiti. “The situation is sensitive across the world. We had to seek instructions from the MCD and medical authorities. They said the cremation will be done using CNG and the officials came to supervise the process,” said Suman Gupta of the Samiti. The municipal authorities said the victim’s family had not intimated the crematorium. “The family landed at the Nigambodh ghat without any prior information. The staff were not ready to ahead with the cremation procedure because they were scared,” said Ashok Rawat, Medical Health Officer of North MCD.
“When the matter was brought to my notice, I went to the ghat, intervened and the cremation was done at the earliest. The MCD will also issue a regulation to RML Hospital and Safdarjung on how to proceed if further deaths occur.” India reported its second coronavirus casualty on Friday with the Union Health Ministry confirming the death of the woman who had tested positive for the contagious viral disease after coming in contact with her son, who caught the virus after travelling abroad recently.