Ludhiana MC staff oppose duty to cremate Covid-19 patients if relatives are present

Raise the demand before MC commissioner Brar, who writes to the deputy commissioner to decide on the matter

The Ludhiana municipal corporation (MC) employees, deployed to cremate bodies of Covid-19 victims, have raised objections against the assignment when the relatives are present at the cremation ground.

HT Image

The employees met MC commissioner Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar on Friday and demanded that they should not be asked to cremate such coronavirus victims.

Brar has now written a letter to deputy commissioner (DC) Pradeep Kumar Agrawal to take a decision.

The MC on April 10 had selected the Ramgarhia cremation ground to cremate Covid-19 patients. A committee, comprising employees of the civic body, was given the responsibility to cremate unclaimed bodies with full precautions.

However, in two recent cases, the MC employees were also asked to make arrangements even when the deceased’s family members were present.

“The MC staff have demanded that they be asked to cremate only unclaimed bodies as was decided and not of those whose family members are present at the cremation ground,” said an MC employee, requesting anonymity.