NEW DELHI – The Indian government has asked states to stop the practice of dumping Covid-19 victims’ bodies into the River Ganga, as the country struggles to handle a devastating second wave of infections.
According to the Xinhua news agency, Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the ministry has issued instructions prohibiting the practice.
“We have taken serious note of the issue of dumping bodies into the River Ganga and instituted measures for the prohibition.”
The government will take steps to “ensure all unidentified bodies are disposed of as per the protocol”.
Over the past few days, in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh states, at least 96 corpses were found floating in the River Ganga, officials reported today.
Xinhua said the ministry’s National Mission for a Clean Ganga (NMCG) has urged states along the river to adopt measures to stop people from dumping bodies.
In a letter, NMCG asked local Ganga committees to “ensure strict vigilance along the length of the river within the territorial jurisdiction of the district, to prevent and check incidences of people dumping bodies into the Ganga and its tributaries, and of any other activity hazardous to the Ganga and the health and hygiene of the area”.
It has also asked them to submit reports on actions taken in the next 14 days.
The rising death toll from the pandemic in India has led to overcrowding at morgues, crematoriums and cemeteries. – Bernama, May 12, 2021
