For the last few days, residents of Abhinav Nagar and Panchasheela Avenue near Gandhi Hospital have been subjected to sheer torture with unbearable stench emanating from the mortuary.
Authorities say very low temperature has to be maintained in the room in which unclaimed bodies are preserved. But with the air-conditioning equipment developing technical snags, bodies are decaying and resultantly the stench is enveloping the surrounding areas.
Exasperated residents of nearby localities say that they are forced to put up with the stench of decaying corpses for the last four days.
“We have stopped cooking food at home. We are forced to shut the windows and doors. Going out for a stroll in the locality is now ruled out because of the stench,” says R. Rajesh Goud, a resident of Abhinav Nagar. Angry at the inaction of the hospital authorities, residents thronged the mortuary three days ago and narrated their woes to the authorities. “They assured us of getting it repaired. But nothing has been done yet. Our children refuse to eat or sleep and the only option is to go away and live with our relatives until the smell goes away,” says Ravi Kumar, another resident.
With the stench getting unbearable by the day, a group of residents went back again on Sunday evening to stage their protest. To provide some respite to the residents, officials of Satya Harishchandra Foundation, which cremates unclaimed bodies, took away 11 bodies from the mortuary.
“There are four more bodies remaining in highly decomposed state in the mortuary. The hospital officials must rectify the snag quickly,” asserted Anil Chandra Hari, a resident of Panchasheela Avenue.
When contacted, hospital officials said that the room will be repaired at the earliest.
