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Dead bodies in Ganga: Bengal govt on alert
Local fishermen and boatmen have also been alerted to inform the police and local authorities if they spot any corpse floating in the river
The West Bengal government has started vigil in Malda district, where river Ganga enters the state, after reports of corpses of suspected Covid-19 patients found floating in the river in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
“We have started vigil. Mechanised country boats and speed boats have been deployed and patrolling has been stepped up in the river , particularly at Manikchak. Patrolling in on at night as well with the help of searchlights,” said a senior official of Malda district.
Local fishermen and boatmen have also been alerted to inform the police and local authorities if they spot any corpse floating in the river.
Ganga flows through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal before finally meeting the Bay of Bengal.
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“If we spot any dead body, it will be disposed of following all protocols,” said Prasanta Debnath, deputy superintendent of police in Malda district.
Local administration fished at least 70 bodies out of Ganga in Bihar’s Buxar district on Tuesday. Later, another 12 corpses were spotted in the same river upstream in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur district, triggering probes in both states and speculation that the bodies belonged to Covid patients. More dead bodies have been found buried in the sand in Unnao.
Meanwhile, a high-level meeting on Covid-19 at the state secretariat on Thursday also discussed the issue.
“It is shocking. The river water is treated and used as drinking water. All this is happening because of the inefficiency of the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar governments,” said Firhad Hakim, state minister.
Authorities at the Farrakka Barrage, which lies around 22 km downstream from the spot where the river enters Bengal, have also been alerted.
“All police stations along this 22 km stretch have been asked to remain alert,” said a senior official of Malda police.
On Thursday, the state reported 20,839 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of active cases to 130,213. According to official figures, at least 129 Covid patients died in the last 24 hours.
