Kolkata's Civic Body Relaxes Norms On Disposal Of COVID-19 Victims' Bodies

No large gatherings for the last rites will be permitted, KMC official said. (File)

The ashes of those who die of COVID-19 within the jurisdiction of the city's civic body and are cremated according to their religious practices will henceforth be handed over to the family members, keeping in mind their emotions, a top KMC official said on Wednesday.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has also decided to allow the family members of the victims, who are buried, to pay their last respects to the dead from a distance, he said.

However, the KMC will not hand over the ashes of a patient's navel for the fear of transmission of the contagion, the official said.

So far, the civic body was not informing the families of coronavirus victims where their bodies were cremated or buried.

"We have been getting requests from the family of coronavirus victims to allow them to be present during the last rites. We consulted specialists and have decided to hand over the ashes to them after the cremation. But not the ashes of the navel (which are usually immersed in rivers by Hindus) as it may cause the disease to spread," the official told PTI.

The KMC's decision came after the health department of the West Bengal government decided to allow the relatives of COVID-19 victims to see the bodies on following strict protocols.

The cremation of COVID-19 victims is being carried out at electric crematoriums at temperatures above 800 degrees Celsius. At that temperature, no virus can survive, so handing over the ashes to the family members is absolutely safe.

"But since it is believed that the navel does not burn and may therefore transmit the coronavirus, we will not hand it over to the victims' relatives," the KMC official said.

No large gatherings for the last rites will be permitted and only close family members of the victims will be allowed, he added.

The health department has recently altered its rules to allow the relatives of coronavirus victims to see the bodies for 30 minutes to pay their last respects.

Now the bodies are being kept in a suitable place for the purpose, but will not be handed over to the relatives and the civic body will carry out the last rites.

"Once the cremation is over, the victims' families will receive a text message, informing them when the ashes will be handed over to them in a small earthen pot," the official said.

The family members of a coronavirus victim will also get the death certificate issued by the civic body immediately after the cremation, he added.

About burials, the KMC official said the family members of the coronavirus victims will be allowed to offer soil in accordance with the custom.

The Calcutta High Court had last week directed the West Bengal government to file a report on allegations that the bodies of the patients who died due to COVID-19 were not cremated or buried in a respectful manner.