Delhi civic bodies working on real-time monitoring system for crematoriums

Civic authorities in Delhi have started working on a real-time monitoring system and a central control room for crematoriums and burial grounds amid a rise in the number of COVID-19 fatalities.

The rush at crematoriums and graveyards has intensified of late with the death toll due to the viral disease rising steadily.

The situation is "very bad", said Mashqoor Rashid, busy issuing papers to those reaching the Qabristan Ahle Islam near ITO, the biggest Muslim graveyard in Delhi, to bury their family members.

"On an average, we are performing the burials of 18-20 coronavirus victims every day for the last few days," Rashid, a member of the graveyard's management committee, said.

According to the city government, COVID-19 claimed 277 lives on Tuesday, highest since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year.

The reported number of fatalities was240 on April 19, 161 on April 18, 167 on April 17 and 141 on April 16.

North Delhi mayor Jai Prakash said directions have been given to officials to set up a real-time monitoring system and a central control room for cremation grounds and cemeteries.

"All small and big crematoriums and cemeteries in the jurisdiction of the ??North Delhi Municipal Corporation will be connected to this integrated system. People will be able to know whether space is available for performing the last rites at these places," he said.

Thirty additional platforms for the cremation of COVID victims at the Rohini Sector-16 cremation ground and 50 at the Paschim Vihar cremation ground will be developed in the next two days, he added.

The number of platforms for cremation has been increased from 122 to 150 at Nigambodh Ghat, Suman Gupta, the general secretary of the Badi Panchayat Vaishya Beese Agarwal organisation that manages the crematorium, said.

"We cremated 95 COVID victims' bodies on Tuesday. The figures for Wednesday are yet to be compiled," Gupta said.