In a clear indication of an aggressive rise in the number of Covid-19 cases, Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) has disposed of as many as 89 bodies in line with the disposal protocols for coronavirus at a designated crematorium and two burial grounds since 2 April.

The cremation and burial of so many bodies in keeping with Covid-19 guidelines only in the HMC area have triggered panic among concerned officials in the civic body prompting them to raise questions, “Is Howrah city becoming an epicentre of coronavirus?” A bulletin issued on Thursday by the state health department showed that Howrah had recorded 1264 Covid-19 positive cases including 37 active deaths and five deaths with co-morbidities till 3 June in the entire district.

Sources in the HMC said, “We can’t say whether all the 89 bodies were Covid-19 positive but they have been disposed of at Shibpur crematorium and Andul and Byantra burial grounds respectively as per safety measures stipulated in the coronavirus deaths disposal protocols. All of them had died in Covid hospitals at ILS Salkia, Sanjiban in Uluberia and state-run T L Jaiswal Hospital at Liluah.”

“Administration has directed us to follow the disposal guidelines if any patient dies of coronavirus-like symptoms – fever, cough and cold with respiratory trouble, vomiting, diarrhoea etc. in any Covid hospital in Howrah,” a senior official in the Howrah Municipal Corporation said.

“Today, three bodies have been disposed of till 4 pm while the figure was four on Thursday. Eighty nine bodies including today’s three have been cremated and buried at the three designated sites so far since 2 April. Relatives were not allowed to bid farewell to them during their last journey,” said the official requesting anonymity.

Considering the spurt in the number of Covid-19 positive cases in HMC areas the civic body had given additional responsibilities to Somnath Das, personnel officer (PO), to look after the disposal process of bodies of Covid positive patients and suspects.

Howrah is one of the 13 districts across the country where 70 percent of the total Covid19 cases nationally have been reported. Dr Asutosh Kundu, a homeopathy doctor who is incharge of the HMC health department as an officer-onspecial-duty (OSD), did not comment. “I am very busy in meeting and can’t talk to you,” he told this Statesman correspondent. “I have no idea how many dead bodies were disposed following Covid protocol in Howrah town,”said Dr Bhabani Das, Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) in Howrah.