Pulled Up by Clean Ganga Mission, UP Collates Data on Bodies Fished from River Amid High Covid Deaths

Days after National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) asked a detailed report from the UP government, the state government has started collating district-wise data of “unidentified dead bodies or unclaimed corpses” fished out or recovered from Ganga across the state.

A report in The Indian Express quoted sources saying that it was one of the 7-point on which the state government has sought a “weekly report” from the districts.

Achchhe Lal Singh Yadav, Additional Project Director, State Mission for Clean Ganga (SMCG)-Uttar Pradesh has written to 72 district magistrates seeking a report on the “number of unidentified dead bodies/unclaimed corpses fished out/recovered from river/river bed or bank of the river Ganga and its tributaries and disposed/cremated as per the Standard Operating Procedures and guidelines.”

The district magistrates have also been asked to send a report on the “Audit of the infrastructure for crematoria/ burial grounds and their utilization.” They have also been asked to stop the dumping or burial of dead bodies or unidentified corpses into river or bank of the river Ganga.

The report added that the issue of water quality of the rivers has also been flagged in the letter. Earlier, NMCG had held a video conference with the chief secretaries of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on 15th May and sent a letter to the states on May 20th.

An advisory was issued by Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga on May 11 to the district magistrates, who are also the chairpersons of the district Ganga committees. This was followed up by a letter the next day to the chief secretaries to prevent the dumping of dead bodies in the river and ensure enforcement of the government guidelines on the cremation of COVID-19 victims. The letter also advised the states to provide financial assistance as well as regulate the rates for the cremation or burial process.

The NMCG Director General Rajiv Ranjan Mishra wrote to Chief Secretaries of 5 states– Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal– on May 12, asking them to issue “specific directions” to the concerned district administrations, local bodies and police authorities.

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