Mahaprayan failure: Man carries body of daughter in trolley in Puri

Puri: Cases of dishonour to dead bodies are becoming frequent in the State with another such incident occurring in Puri late last night. A resident of Balisahi area took the dead body of his minor daughter from the district hospital to the Swargadwara in a trolley rickshaw due to alleged non-availability of Mahaprayan or the free hearse service sponsored by the State government.

After doctors declared the daughter dead at the district hospital, the man, identified as Dhani Sahu, tried to get a Mahaprayan vehicle to carry the dead body up to a crematorium, but in vain.

Without waiting for anyone, the man decided to carry the dead body in the trolley to the crematorium.

Earlier, the man tried to bring the daughter in an 108 ambulance to the hospital when she complained of chest pain last night. But no one turned up following which the man took the girl to the hospital in a trolley rickshaw for treatment.

In his reaction, Puri Sub-collector said, "Probe will be initiated to find out who is at fault. Besides, all sorts of support will be provided by the district administration to the daughter’s family."

Dead body of a minor girl was carried by the family members on a stretcher in Phulbani of Kandhamal district last month after they failed to a get a hearse van. Similarly, a father had to carry body of minor son on a trolley from Nilagiri hospital in Balasore as he was unable to get a vehicle under the Mahaprayan scheme.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had launched the Mahaprayan scheme offering free hearse service from government hospitals in August last year after OTV telecast video of Dana Majhi carrying home the body of wife from the Kalahandi district hospital.