COVID is surging wildly all through the country. Yesterday, there was the highest rise of +216,850 new cases and +1,183 deaths. All cities are the COVID hot zones and in Lucknow, with spikes in death rates, a video went viral in social media showing mass funeral pyres at Lucknow cremation ground, Bhainsakund causing the authorities to fortify the grounds with blue tin sheets to prevent the people from taking pictures and videos.
There was been a big surge of COVID cases in Lucknow contributing to around one-fourth of the total number of fresh active cases on state tally on a
daily basis. On Thursday, Lucknow reported 5,183 fresh cases of COVID with 26 deaths. Until then, Lucknow had a total of 35,885 active COVID cases and registered 1,420 deaths.
It is reported that the city of Lucknow is among one of the worst-hit regions in the country, as the COVID-19 infections are rising at a frightening rate. The city has over 31,000 active COVID-19 cases, which is 10 times more than what they were just two weeks ago.
On Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh reported 20,510 new coronavirus-positive infections, which is the highest daily score since the beginning of the pandemic.
The death rates are so immense that the authorities cannot handle it anymore and with the rush of bodies to crematoriums, people cremating the dead are being made to wait for hours for the cremation of their loved ones.
Thus, the Lucknow municipal authorities have now decided to get more electric crematoriums to make sure the families of the dead do not have to go through grueling pain and difficulties to conduct the last rites. The victims do not face problems in conducting the last rites. The Lucknow municipal authorities have also decided to keep around 50 pyres ready on a daily basis to handle the escalating need for cremations.
In a bid to handle the alarming surge in Uttar Pradesh, the government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who incidentally also has contracted COVID made stringent laws such as people have to pay a fine of up to ₹10,000 for not wearing masks.
The tin sheets set up to block the cremation site in UP’s Lucknow led Congress leader Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to release a three-page statement on Wednesday and called upon the Yogi Adityanath government to stop covering up the numbers related to COVID cases and deaths in Uttar Pradesh.
On reacting to the videos, she tweeted in Hindi that there was an effort to hide the tragedy that was unfolding.
“A request to the Government of Uttar Pradesh: It’s useless to spend time, resources, and energy into hiding, suppressing this tragedy. Take concrete steps to prevent the epidemic, save lives and prevent the spread of infection. This is the call of the hour,” (in Hindi translated to English).
उप्र की सरकार से एक निवेदन है:
अपना समय, संसाधन और ऊर्जा इस त्रासदी को छुपाने, दबाने में लगाना व्यर्थ है। महामारी को रोकने, लोगों की जान बचाने, संक्रमण को फैलने से रोकने के लिए ठोस कदम उठाइए। यही वक्त की पुकार है। pic.twitter.com/xwKrfyav4o
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) April 15, 2021
It is said that in India, every 5th person being tested is turning out to be COVID positive. The pandemic is being managed very poorly by politicians and governmental authorities in view of their massive gatherings for functions, ceremonies, political gatherings, and campaigning. Paradoxically, imposing a night curfew makes it seem as if coronavirus sleeps in the day and gets up at night. So it’s perfectly understandable why millions can swarm in crowds in the day but have night curfews. It appears that the norms and rules for coronavirus are being implemented selectively and this is why India has reached the second status of the coronavirus invasion in the world right behind the USA.
Funeral pyres in Uttar Pradesh
