NGO cremates 900 unclaimed bodies in 4 yrs

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, January 1

Helpers Shahabad Society has cremated over 900 unclaimed bodies since 2017.

Unclaimed bodies from Kurukshetra, Ambala and sometimes even Kaithal are handed over to the society for the final rites. After every three months, the ashes are immersed in the Ganga at Haridwar.

“We experienced that people take road accident victims to hospitals and then leave. But the real struggle for the victims starts from that point until their kin arrive. So it all started with helping accident victims in 2010. Our volunteers used to take the victims to the hospital and take care of them till the attendants arrive, arrange blood and even take them to PGIMER and the GMCH-32 in Chandigarh,” says society president Tilak Raj Aggarwal.

“After we started going to PGI Chandigarh with accident victims on a regular basis, the doctors there advised us to start organising blood donation camps as well as there is requirement of blood in accident cases. We have organised 37 blood donation camps since 2012. We continued the service during the Covid pandemic as well,” says Aggarwal.

“In 2017, we started performing last rites of unclaimed bodies. Initially, we used to be contacted from Kurukshetra only. Later, we started getting calls from Ambala and now even from Kaithal,” he added.

“The society has three ambulances and the service is provided free of cost. Besides, we have a mortuary van and a food van. The society also provides food to patients at hospitals and to needy people in the town, besides providing them with blankets.

“We provide food to around 1,000 people a day. We have a monthly expense of over Rs 5 lakh. It includes the salary of 12 people who have been working as drivers and cooks. We have been getting a lot of support from society. We get the money through donations. Besides, people also help the society with grocery items and other stuff,” the president said.

Meanwhile, Pradeep Goel, chairman of the society, said, “Our volunteers are among the first to respond in case of emergency. Since the town is located on the national highway, we have done our bit in several major accidents on the highway.”