* Crematorium staffers continue without protective gears
Sanjeev K Sharma
JAMMU, May 1: With spike in number of COVID deaths in Jammu, last rites at cremation grounds in city have exceeded the double of what it used to be in normal days and shocking thing to note here is that the crematorium staffers are facilitating the last rites even of Corona dead people without using any protective gears.
Sources at Jogi Gate Cremation Ground in Jammu informed that today cremation of seven Corona dead persons took place there while those at Swarag Ashram Cremation Ground in Shastri Nagar put this number at eight and Shakti Nagar Cremation Ground cremated eight bodies of COVID deceased persons yesterday and today it had two such bodies till last reports.
They also informed that all the 5-6 men facilitating cremations at prominent crematoriums of the city are busy these days and work round the clock as apart from COVID deceased some 4-5 non-COVID dead bodies are also brought to the crematoriums for last rites.
Sources revealed that four health workers in protective gears bring bodies of COVID deceased persons to the crematorium and lit the pyre before leaving the place after which the crematorium staff takes the responsibility of complete cremation of the body for which they keep on checking the fire and add more wood to the pyre if it is needed till the body is completely cremated.
It is pertinent to mention here that many people reportedly show no COVID symptoms but are declared as Corona positive after deaths and cremation of such deceased persons without protective gears is full of risks.
More shocking is that the authorities concerned have not framed any Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for these workers of cremation grounds who claim they are without any Corona infection till date only due to the ‘grace of God’.
Sources further informed that cremation ground staffers who assist in last rites of deceased persons are known as Sewadars (volunteers offering services).
“As relatives of some deceased visit very next day of the cremation to collect ashes for immersion in Ganges or somewhere else, these Sewadars ensures that the body gets completely burnt,” they informed adding that any lackadaisical approach at the end of Sewadars in their work can be easily detected during the collection of ashes.
Sources further said that Sewadars almost work round the clock and some of them even stay at the cremation grounds at night to assist people visiting crematoriums early in the morning to collect ashes.
To utter shock, the sources claimed that the Sewadars are not salaried employees of the crematoriums and they even do not have any insurance cover though Management Committee of Shastri Nagar Crematorium has fixed Rs. 400 per cremation for these people.
Similarly, such staffers at Shakti Nagar and Jogi Gate Cremation Grounds only depend on what the relatives of deceased persons give them and they also do not have an insurance cover.
On condition of not being named, a Sewadar claimed that none of the authorities or NGOs have ever thought of them though their work is of utmost importance.
He further claimed that some of the Sewadars are working at the cremation grounds for the last about 30 years and continue generation after generations in the same job.
“Even Sewa Samiti does not pay any heed towards our issues neither we have any union to highlight our miseries,” he maintained.
However, unlike last year, this year cremation of COVID deceased persons is going on peacefully at different cremation grounds of the city and its outskirts without any objection from anyone.
It is pertinent to mention here that last year some people had objected to the last rites of a man from city outskirts when his body was brought at Jogi Gate cremation ground for performing last rites as the deceased had died of COVID infection.
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