Urns gather dust at crematoria as Covid fear keeps kin away in Pune

According to civic officials, the PMC had to conduct mass awareness campaigns in September last year after the Covid outbreak in March and virus deaths caused fear among residents about spread of the infection even from bodies

The rise in Covid deaths and bodies arriving at crematoriums has left the bereaved hesitant to visit the premises again to collect urns containing ashes of their near and dear ones over fear of Covid infection.

PMC has allowed all 21 crematoriums in the city to conduct the final rites of Covid patients. (Bloomberg)

According to civic officials, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had to conduct mass awareness campaigns in September last year after the Covid outbreak in March and virus deaths caused fear among residents about spread of the infection even from bodies. The authorities said that after the body is cremated at 650 to 750 degrees Celsius, the virus does not exist.

“Though people are aware that ashes does not contain the Covid-19 virus, the spike in death in the second wave and the long wait to cremate bodies have caused residents to develop cold feet over visiting the crematoriums again to collect ashes,” said one of the official from Vaikunth, Navipeth, on the request of anonymity.

Arun Jangam, body disposal officer deployed at Amardham Hindu Smashan Bhumi, Yerawada said, “Though people are coming to collect urns unlike last year, many are taking a long time after the last rites to collect ashes.”

Few residents are visiting the crematorium in Talegaon to collect urns.

“As the number of daily cremations has increased over the past 10 days, few are visiting again to collect. The situation was normal till the second week of April,” said Kailash Patil, body disposal officer, Talegaon.

Body disposal officers said that there will not be any need to hold mass awareness programmes like last year. PMC has allowed all 21 crematoriums in the city to conduct the final rites of Covid patients.