Kathmandu, April 20 :  Mourners at the Pashupatinath area have complained of difficult situations they are facing because of the closure of 'Kiriyaputri Ghar', a facility for performing the death rituals, due to lockdown.    

Bimal Gautam of Dhanusa district found it difficult to conduct post-death rituals of his mother. He said a service to provide space for mourners to perform rituals in the area has been closed since seven days back. His mother died on last Sunday night and her mortal remains were cremated in an electric crematorium at the Pashupati Aryaghat. He found it difficult to manage space to perform after-death ritual of his mother as he and his family live in rented apartments in the Kathmandu Valley. Gautam is just in a point. Many mourners have faced the same situation due to lockdown.    

"It is difficult to find rented space or apartments to perform after-death ritual in the Valley as most of houses here are rented out," said Gautam.    

When asked Dr Pradip Dhakal, member-secretary of the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), the service to provide space for mourners has been closed during lockdown as mourners themselves complained that they faced troubles following frequent visits by their relatives while performing rituals.    

"Pashupati is a sensitive area. We cannot stop people from visiting mourners in the area. We have closed the service in view of coronavirus outbreak. The Trust begs apology for any inconveniences it caused to the people," he said.    

A 42-room building has been managed for mourners to perform rituals at Rajrajeshwori in Pashupati area. Rs 500 are charged a day for using a room attached with a bathroom. The building has 22 rooms attached with bathrooms. Likewise, Rs 200 are charged a day for using a general room.    

The number of bodies brought to the Pashupati Ghat for cremation has fallen with the implementation of lockdown.    

Before lockdown which has been in force since March 24, the Pasupati Ghat would see 30-40 bodies on a daily basis, but these days maximum 10-15 bodies are being brought here to conduct final rites, said PADT executive director Dr Ghanashyam Khatiwada.    

"With the lockdown, hospital services except emergency have remained closed, many people went to their homes from the Kathmandu Valley, no bodies are arriving from abroad and the proportion of road fatalities has significantly gone down. These might be the reasons behind the noticeable fall in the number of bodies being brought here for cremation", he added.    

According to the recent media reports, around 100 dead bodies of Nepalis have struck at abroad due to lockdown. Besides, no bodies are arriving from areas adjacent to the Kathmandu Valley due to disrupted traffic with the lockdown.    

Many people residing temporarily in the Kathmandu Valley used to bring dead bodies of their relatives to the Pashupati Ghat and perform the mourning rituals. With the closure of the service, no such potential bodies are arriving here after lockdown, it is said. Traditional and electric cremation services are available at Pashupati. The number of dead bodies in the electric crematorium center has also dropped.    
Similarly, most bodies being brought here these days are taken for the electric cremation as more people are opting for the same as it just takes 45 minutes to 1:15 hour against four hours for traditional cremation.    

The increased risk of COVID-19 is one of the reasons behind the growing preference for electric crematorium.    

However, of two cremation machines, only one is working as another needs repair. The charge for the electric cremation is Rs 4,000 which is relatively less than that of traditional cremation.    

Employees and workers at Pashupati Aryaghat had refused to go to duty citing health safety concerns in the absence of personal protection materials. Due to the protest, relatives are handling the cremation process of the dead on their own. The PADT has announced free cremation service for the poor.