Ghaziabad: Glitch in electronic crematorium delays COVID patient's cremation

Ghaziabad, Jun 18 () The body of a coronavirus patient could not be cremated for about 30 hours as an electric crematorium here went out of order due to a glitch.

A relative of the deceased said the furnace did not work due to a fault in its connector when they brought the body to the crematorium on Tuesday.

The entire family of the deceased businessman was told to go back home and collect the ashes in the evening. However, the funeral could not take place for about 30 hours till next day.

In such a condition, eating is not permitted by the Hindu tradition, the relative said.

Dr Anil Agarwal, a BJP Rajya Sabha member said the electric crematorium was funded by corporate social responsibility (CSR), therefore, no institution can be held responsible for the fault in the furnace.

Now, the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation has been instructed to keep the furnace updated.

Municipal Commissioner Dinesh Chandra said when the Ghaziabad Development Authority handed over the electric crematorium to the civic body, it was not tested.

Now, the civic body will maintain it on its own, he said, adding that currently the facility is being used for the cremation of coronavirus patients.

A letter has also been sent to the Electricity Department for a separate feeder to maintain the power supply.

On the other hand, R K Rana, chief engineer of the power department, said the furnace consumes a load of 50 kilowatts. In case, the civic body applies for separate electricity connection, a new feeder will be installed, he said. RDK RDK