SSG tells off its veteran corpse-bearers

SSG Hospital authorities are tightlipped about the reasons,but have decided to discontinue Valodra’s 25-year long services all of a sudden. “We cannot tell you the reasons; we had received complaints. A Forensic Department staff has volunteered for the job. An order has been issued in this regard,” said SSG Hospital Superintendent Dr Rajeev Daveshwar.

Meanwhile,unclaimed bodies (15 so far),continue to pile up in the SSG Hospital mortuaries. Dr Daveshwar said since there is a capacity for 29 unclaimed bodies in the cold room,there is no problem about corpses piling up. According to the cold room in-charge,the recent pile up includes an unclaimed body of a young girl found in Godhra and two others of roadside dwellers on NH 8 near Karjan among the other 15.

Magan Valodra recounted his teenage days,when he arrived here from Varnama. He said his first assignment was to remove an unclaimed body of a woman from Sursagar. “They (VMC) did not find anyone who could fetch the body. I volunteered and told the officials that I will do the necessary rituals at the Bahucharaji Cremation Ground,” he said.

Even now,when SSGH authorities approached VMC after they fired Valodra,civic body officials expressed their inability to find a person to do the task. “It is the responsibility of VMC to find us an appropriate person to do this task. But,they could not find us a single person for us,” said Dr Daveshwar.

Running his family mostly on bakshis given by the local police or municipal officials to dispose unclaimed bodies at Harijan dominated 56 quarters (chhapan quarters) locality in Navapura,Valodra says when people do not have the means to conduct rituals for their near ones,he usually does it for free. “Once a young boy from Vasad offered me his cycle after I conducted the rituals for him. His father,a labourer,fell into a well and died and he did not have money to perform the cremation ceremony,” he said.

The family usually start their day early. “Two of my sons go to the railway station and I go to SSG Hospital in the morning. That is how we begin our day,” said Magan Valodra.

Earlier this week,a meeting was held in the presence of Executive Officer Ranjan Vala,Dr Daveshwar and RMO Dr B C Patel,where it was decided that a medical legal officer will be appointed on a monthly rotation basis to oversee the disposal of the bodies.

On being asked about Valodra,Dr Patel said that he is not a government employee.

“Valodra is ferrying dead bodies for which he charged Rs 70 to Rs 80 from us. But he is not employed or contracted by government,” said Dr Patel.

The family handles about 15 to 20 unclaimed bodies a month,and get paid for the victims brought dead on arrival. Valodra claims that SSG Hospital authorities still owe him Rs 5,000 from the last two months. “He will get his money. But we are not looking for his services anymore,” said Dr Daveshwar.

Valodra also refutes reports carried by some of the local news channels in which he was quoted as saying that he gets Rs 25,000 for selling one body. “What will do by selling mutilated unclaimed bodies?” asks Magan. “Till 1995,I was paid Rs 8 by VMC. Now,they pay me Rs 25 for each body that I take for cremation from the municipal limits,” he adds.