Over 35 acres of land in nine villages on the outskirts of Bengaluru have been earmarked for burial and cremation of bodies of COVID-19 victims after concerns were raised over the safety of funerals being held in burial grounds located in residential areas.
Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban District GN Shivamurthy issued an order setting apart about 35.5 acres in the villages under four Taluks of Bengaluru North, Bengaluru South, Anekal and Yelahanka.
The order directed the respective Tahsildars to register these chunks of land as reserved for burial grounds and not to use for any purpose.
According to the sources in the district administration, Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu and Revenue Minister R Ashoka had directed the officials to identify places on the city outskirts to dispose of the bodies of COVID-19 victims.
Mr Sriramulu had on Wednesday said COVID-19 victims will not be laid to rest in burial grounds in the city and separate places will be earmarked on the outskirts in the backdrop of safety concerns raised by public.
He had also warned against unscientific disposal of used Personal Protection Equipment kits worn by the families of the victim for the final rites, referring to reports about such instances.
In some places, people have also expressed concern over bodies of those who died of the coronavirus being buried in their neighbourhood.
New XEC Covid Variant Spreads To 27 Countries, Here's What We Know So Far Study Shows How Long Covid Is Debilitating Children's Health From FLiRT To FLuQE: What To Know About The Latest Covid Variants Election Results 2024 LIVE Updates: Maharashtra Battle To Decide Real NCP, Sena Election Results LIVE: Mahayuti Leads In Maharashtra, INDIA In Jharkhand Jharkhand Election Results LIVE Updates: INDIA Bloc Makes Stunning Comeback Google Forced To Sell Chrome. Will It Be A Win For Rivals? "100% Not True": Jeff Bezos' Response To Elon Musk's Big US Election Claim Maruti Suzuki Swift Hybrid Caught Testing: ADAS On Its Way? Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.