Tirupati: Earthmover use became inevitable, says civic chief P S Girisha

Tirupati: Municipal Corporation commissioner P S Girisha said that under inevitable circumstances an earthmover was used for the burial of a person who died of Covid-19 here on Sunday.

As the victim was overweight, the health staff found it difficult to lift the swollen body from the ambulance to lay it in the 15 ft deep, the JCB was used to put the body to rest, commissioner explained in a press conference on Monday.

Reacting to a report in the media alleging disrespect on the part of health staff in the burial of the corona victim, Girisha maintained that due to unavoidable reasons the JCB was involved to support the staff engaged for the burial of the body.

The body was first taken to the gas-based Govinda Damam crematoriums for cremation as was the system being followed by the corporation with regard to the funeral of those died of corona, but the staff expressed their inability after noticing that the swollen body is too big to put it in the passage to the gas burner.

The body was taken back to SVIMS mortuary where the authorities refused to keep it resulting in the corporation authorities deciding to bury the body in Harichandra Smasana Vatika, the commissioner said.

At the graveyard the residents around the localities gathered protesting the burial leading to tension much to the worry of the staff pressing them to complete the burial early, he said consent from the relatives was also obtained for the use of earthmover.

In the same breath, the commissioner said that utmost care would be taken in the funeral of the bodies of corona patients died here in the hospitals.