CHENNAI: The shutdown to contain the spread of novel coronavirus put a grieving family in a fix for almost three days as they struggled to find a way to transport body of their son from Chennai to Port Blair. The 26-year-old engineer was found dead in his room on Saturday morning.
Finally, there seems to be a ray of hope as the Andaman and Nicobar Island administration has informed on Monday evening that steps are under way to airlift the body after postmortem.
Prakhar Kumar, an NIT Puducherry graduate and an IT engineer employed at a software company in Chennai, was found dead in his room in Karapakkam on Satur-day. Police said it must be a case of cardiac arrest. A postmortem will be done on Wednesday. Chief secretary of Andaman and Nicobar administration Chetan Sanghi has tweeted on Tuesday evening, “We are finalising arrangements to bring the body back a day after tomorrow.”
It has been a struggle for his parents who live in Port Blair and friends in Chennai to get the body back to Port Blair after postmortem because flights are not going to Port Blair because of the shutdown.
His friends posted messages on social media tagging all higher authorities including the PMO, Union ministers and others, seeking help. And the move seems to have had some effect. Ketan Koda, his friend, who along with others are coordinating the work to send the body home, said, “The Andaman and Nicobar administration has reached out to the family and has informed that the body will be airlifted in two days after postmortem is completed. Port Blair has informed their office in Chennai to arrange for the transportation.”