Delhi High Court issues notices to Delhi government, civic bodies, NDMA on plea filed by NGO offering cremation of COVID-19 casualties

Delhi High Court on Monday (June 15) issued notices to Delhi government, civic agencies and NDMA on a petition filed by an NGO 'Mokshda Paryavaran Evam Van Sanrakshan Samiti' and directed them to file reply before the next date of hearing on June 29.

MOKSHDA  runs several "green crematoriums" in the national capital and other parts of the country and has offered its services to facilitate the cremation of those who died due to COVID-19.

The petition by NGO Mokshda Paryavaran Evam Van Suraksha Samiti has been filed through advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, wherein it has been stated that it has installed 19 green crematoriums in Delhi out of which six are at the Nigam Bodh ghat and can handle 24 cremations a day.

It said that it has moved the petition, offering its services after coming to know through news reports that the Delhi High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the lack of facilities to cremate those who died of COVID-19.

Anguished by lack of facilities to cremate those who died due to COVID-19 and the bodies piling up in the mortuaries, the high court had on May 28 initiated on its own a PIL to deal with the issue, saying if this was the correct situation then it was "highly dissatisfactory".

Earlier, it was reported that the CNG furnaces were not functioning and bodies were returned. It said that there was a pile up of more than 100 such bodies in the mortuary of LNJP hospital of Delhi. The Delhi High Court had also sought a detailed status report from the Delhi government in this matter. The court had also directed that such incidents should not be repeated in the future.