BBMP's free hearse service ferries 270 bodies every day

With a fleet of 96 vehicles, it is now working overtime

Two days ago, H P Rajesh, driver of a BBMP hearse, had to take the body of a 22-year-old Covid-positive woman to the crematorium. She had died for want of a ventilator.

“The bodies are usually wrapped in PPE kits and transported. I saw blood oozing from the PPE kit. I opened it only to discover her nose and ear bleeding. This is one of the many sights we see every day,” he says.

In most cases, family members don’t accompany the body, so drivers have to take on their role, ensure a respectful funeral, and complete other formalities.

Rajesh is one of the 96 drivers attached to the BBMP’s hearse service started a year ago. It transports about 270 Covid-positive bodies a
day.

“We started with 35 vans and soon we had to procure more vans to meet the increasing demand. We now have 96. But we operate only 92 vans and keep four for emergencies,” Manohar N, hearse team leader, BBMP told Metrolife.

The service covers all eight zones of Bengaluru city. “Every van is fitted with a GPRS and connected to an internal-use app called T R Dynamic. The app is used to communicate location and other details,” explains Manohar, who also tested positive recently. The team gives preference to home calls first because families are always in a distraught state.

Rajesh, 38, who has picked up several of those who have died in home isolation, says, “Sometimes, the houses are located on the third floor and bringing the body down on a stretcher is an ordeal in itself,” he says.

“Guarding the body till it is handed over to the crematorium is the driver’s job. The long and unearthly hours take a toll on our health, but what gives us satisfaction is that we are able to help,” says Rajesh.

Packed crematoriums

The maximum deaths are reported from the South and West Zones as they have the most number of hospitals. “There are 12 crematoriums, of these Hebbal, Harishchandra Ghat and Wilson Garden attend to non-Covid deaths, while the rest are dedicated to Covid cases,” says Manohar. The crematoriums are full and vans have to wait long hours for their turn.

He says hearse staff have packed their families off to their villages.

“We are always exposed and we don’t want to risk their lives,” he says.

Political influence

Political pressure to prioritise bodies is common, says a senior BBMP official. “We get calls from MLAs, MPs and ministers saying bodies of people they know have been waiting for hours. We may lose our jobs if we don’t obey their orders,” says the official.

Contact

The BBMP hearse service may be contacted on 080 22493 202 and 2249 3203 or on WhatsApp number 87921 62736. The service is free and available between 7 am and 10 pm on all days. The vans transport Covid bodies both from hospitals and homes.