Officials start fixing electric crematorium after Hazaribag stir

Hazaribag: A day after residents of Patratu and Konar villages here resisted the district administration’s efforts to cremate corpses of three Covid-19 patients on the banks of Konar river, officials turned their attention to fixing the electric crematorium at Khirgaon.

Deputy commissioner Bhuvanesh Pratap Singh, SDO Megha Bharadwaj and other officers inspected the crematorium on Wednesday morning. Under Hazaribag Municipal Council (

HMC

), the crematorium has been lying defunct for nearly three years.

“It (electric crematorium) was commissioned by former MP Yashwant Sinha more than five years ago and was out of use for nearly three years. Minor glitches have been detected, which will be repaired in five days and soon the electric crematorium will be made functional,” Bharadwaj told TOI.

The SDO added, “Beside the crematorium, the burning ghat by the Konar river will also be in use to cremate deceased Covid-19 patients. Several other sites have also been identified for the last rites of Covid casualties of other faiths.”

Meanwhile, the district administration said it has authorised all sub-divisional hospitals and village health centres to function as Covid care centres. “There won’t be any problem in admitting Covid patients now as there are other facilities beside Hazaribag Medical College and Hospital,” the DC said.

As on Wednesday evening, the district has 402 active cases. “While 717 cases have been reported in total, 13 casualties have been recorded in the district,” HMCH’s medical superintendent Dr Sanjay Kumar Sinha said.