Hyderabad: Non-functional electric crematoriums in municipal graveyards add to disposal problems of unclaimed bodies at Osmania General Hospital.

Burning of a large number of bodies in graveyards led to unpleasant situations in the past with locals objecting to smoke and stench in case of decomposed bodies.

For this reason, the civic body sent the 40-odd bodies collected from OGH mortuary on Saturday to graveyards.

The Satya Harischindra Foundation, an NGO, used to take care of the disposal of unclaimed bodies at OGH until 2013.

Its founder general secretary K. Rajeshwar said they cremated nearly 9,000 bodies, a majority of them through electric means.

“We used to take bodies to electric crematoriums in SR Nagar and Bansilalpet. It is a pollution-free method. The body gets burnt in 45 minutes. However, the electric furnace machinery is at the risk of getting damaged by burning decomposed bodies which release fluids,” he said.

GHMC, which took over disposal responsibilities from the NGO, is burning bodies in a traditional manner atop a massive pile of wood for the last three years. The civic staff has no other option because six electric crematoriums under the control of GHMC have been non-functional for long. The facility to cremate bodies in the electric furnace is available in the Punjagutta, SR Nagar, Bansilalpet and Amberpet crematoriums.

An official said their job would become easier if electric crematoriums are repaired. Each electric crematorium can burn 15 bodies a day.

Mr Rajeshwar of the NGO said graveyard societies fixed a limit of burning not more than five unclaimed bodies a day so that the general public could use the facility to perform the last rites of the deceased as well.

The civic body has been receiving complaints from the general public to make electric crematoriums functional, but it is not able to get on with its job due to stiff opposition from locals, public representatives and also from societies running graveyards because it was denting their income.

Bansilalpet corporator K. Hemalatha said people from colonies surrounding the graveyard undertook protests in the past against electric crematoriums for two reasons — civic staff were cremating bodies from Osmania and Gandhi hospitals day and night and also the waste and stench from electric cremation process were causing harm to their health.

M. Narayan Reddy, retired HoD, forensic science at Osmania, suggested regular disposal of the unclaimed bodies after the stipulated three-days period was advisable because burning a decomposed body gives foul smell.