Mohali keeps unidentified bodies’ ashes in sacks

The apathy of the administration—the cremation ground is run by the Municipal Corporation of Mohali—has ensured that these ashes have remained for years at the ground.

For near two decades,from 1992,the authorities have not cared to immerse the ashes.

Earlier,once the cremation was over,the ashes were dumped in the garbage where stray dogs devoured the bones.

But after a recent complaint,workers have started to store the ashes in sacks,which have been kept at the Sector 57 cremation ground,waiting to be immersed. Some of the lockers at the cremation grounds also had ashes stored by people,who have not claimed it for years.

Jaspal Singh Saini,a resident of Mohali,who has been voluntarily cremating unidentified bodies for the past three years through his organisation Saachi Sewa Society,said,“I had written a letter in this regard to the deputy commissioner and executive officer of the municipal corporation to apprise them of this problem. The authorities are yet to take some steps as over 40 sacks filled with ashes are still lying at the cremation grounds.”

Saini said,on Saturday he was going to Kiratpur Sahib to immerse the ashes of five unidentified bodies he had cremated and had requested the staff at the cremation ground to hand over the ashes they had stored in sacks so that he could perform the last rites,but they refused to do so.

“We are aware of the issue and a decision in this regard was recently taken by the DC. From now onwards,the funeral van will be used to transport the ashes to Kiratpur Sahib so that proper immersion along with other religious rites can be performed,” Executive Officer Amna Kumar told Newsline.

“There are certain people,who cremate the bodies of their kith and kin at the cremation ground and only take a part of the ashes,leaving the rest behind. Initially,we used to dump all such ashes in the garbage dump. But for the past few months,we started collecting these ashes and are keeping it in sacks. Some volunteers from the municipal corporation have now come forward to take these ashes and shall be immersing them in the water at Kiratpur Sahib,probably on Tuesday. But still we dont know if we shall be allowed to immerse 40 sacks of ashes at Kiratpur Sahib,” one of the caretakers of cremation ground said.