A video has been doing the rounds that show rows of funeral pyres burning in already overburdened crematoriums
After Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, questions have been raised on UP’s official COVID death toll and its subsequent underreporting. Uttar Pradesh’s capital city Lucknow in particular has seen a sharp rise in COVID cases and deaths. On Wednesday, the most populous state recorded close to 20,500 cases and 67 deaths.
A video has been doing the rounds that show rows of funeral pyres burning in already overburdened crematoriums in Lucknow. These crematoriums are cremating bodies three to four times their original capacity. The cumulative official Covid death count released by the government in the last seven days is 124. However, as per the records maintained by the city’s crematoriums, over 400 people who died because of the virus had been cremated during the same period.
Visuals of cremation ground at Bhaisakund near Gomti river bank in #Lucknow #COVIDSecondWave #COVID19India pic.twitter.com/P3T5oVSWsk
— Arvind Chauhan (@arvindcTOI) April 14, 2021
The Lucknow Municipal Corporation on Wednesday increased the number of pyre platforms after several complaints of long waiting queues for cremation of the deceased came up.
Also Read: In Record Daily High, India Sees Over 2 Lakh Cases Of Covid-19
The UP government, in its defense, said that only those deaths which were registered with the CMO (Chief Medical Officer) are officially presented and people belonging to other cities and districts who died in Lucknow are also being cremated here.
“We have only presented the list of those who were admitted to the hospital or those registered with the CMO..people who come from other districts and states and unfortunately die here (LUCKNOW), they also get cremated in the city.”
UP Deputy chief minister dinesh sharma
On April 12, UP Law Minister Brajesh Pathak wrote a stinging letter to the administration slamming the lack of response by the Chief Medical Officer and poor health infrastructure of the city.
UP law minister Brajesh Pathak has sent a scathing letter to the admin in #UP complaining about the absolutely ramshackle health infra in Covid epicenter Lucknow. Says CMO non responsive, test results taking almost a week to come, ambulances, beds not available. pic.twitter.com/BeJIhy4gIs
— Vatsala GaurET (@GaurVatsala) April 13, 2021
Meanwhile, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Former CM Akhilesh Yadav also tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday and are in isolation.
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