About a fortnight after the State Government issued guidelines for transportation of corpses, a body was carried in a rickshaw due to unavailability of a hearse at the Aska Community Health Centre (CHC) in Ganjam district on Sunday night.
According to reports, one Chanchala Swain (42) of Kalasandhapur had been admitted to the Aska CHC due to kidney ailments. She died at the hospital at around 8 pm on Sunday. After realising unavailability of a hearse or any other vehicle at the hospital, her family members carried her body on a trolley rickshaw to their house.
Sources said the Aska Police Samiti has an ambulance to carry bodies. As per the Government’s guideline, the service would be provided after getting information from hospital authorities. However, the Aska CHC authorities didn’t inform police regarding the incident, for which the kin of the deceased couldn’t avail the service.
On being contacted, the CHC medical in-charge Dr Mohan Barik said they are yet to receive the new guidelines.