Criminal Suppression of Fact about COVID Death by Govt. of Odisha

Criminal Suppression of Fact about
COVID Death   by 
Govt. of Odisha  

It  is very 
astonishing  that  while   
the official   COVID  death rate of the state  per day is just   15  to
17  deaths,   why  
the  Govt. of Odisha  has  
taken decision  on 16.5.21  to 
start  establishing another  crematory 
ground in Bhubaneswar for cremation of dead bodies. As reported  in some 
other  districts, the existing
crematory  grounds are  also over-burdened due  to   number 
of  dead bodies  coming 
for  cremation. It  shows 
that large  number  of COVID patients  are 
died  in Odisha more  than 
the  official  figure. Like 
others  states, Govt. of Odisha    is suppressing the fact.

 Suppress
of true picture about COVID death is not 
new  in Odisha.   The
trend  of suppressing fact started  from  May,
2020, when Govt. limited official declaration of COVID death to 12 to 17  deaths per 
day.  But  hundreds 
of  people   died under
COVID  treatment  in hospitals  every day   across
the  state mostly  from June to October,20 .

 Apprehending
suppression of fact, RTI Application dt. 14.5.21 was  filed 
in the  Department  of Health and Family Welfare , Govt. of
Odisha  seeking  information about details of  procedure 
followed   for “disclosure  of information about COVID-19 affected
patients and no. of patients  cured  and died, how decision was taken  and who are 
the  officers  in charge 
of such  declaration”. Till today, the information was
not provided to me by the Department.  It
is established fact that Odisha bureaucracy maintains topmost secrecy in
respect of disclosure of information about COVID Death  in Odisha .

 Assuming 
that  the filling of   straight 
RTI  application seeking  information about  COVID 
death  in Odisha may  not 
yield  any  result. Multiple RTI applications were  filed 
seeking  the  said 
information in different ways. RTI Applications were  submitted 
to five  Municipal  Corporations (  because 
maximum COVID  deaths were
reported  in big  cities)  seeking information about  total 
general deaths,  no. of
Applications  filed  for 
death certificate, no.of 
applications received from Private hospitals  for death certificate and total no. of death
certificates  issued . Bhubaneswar
Municipal corporation was 
especially  asked  about 
total no. of   dead bodies  cremated 
in Satya Nagar crematorium  ground
( because  all COVID dead  bodies were 
cremated in Satya Nagar).

 On 17.2.21, the PIO, Bhubaneswar Municipal
Corporation  provided  the 
following  information.

 Information  on Name  of the 
Hospitals  from which  no.  of
 deaths were  reported 
to BMC

 Total  No.
of  Dead 
bodies  received and cremated  in Satyanagar crematorium , Bhubaneswar

(
Information supplied by BMC on 6.4.21)

 On 2.2.21,  Berhampur 
Municipal  Corporation has  provided 
information that they  had  received 
only  60  no. of  COVID
dead  bodies  from Aswani COVID  Hospital, Konisi.  It has been cremated  in Nilakantheswar Masani.

 Information  about 
total  deaths  has not 
yet received from  Sambalpur
Municipal Corporation and Rourkela Municipal Corporation. 

Comments

• As per RTI Information, When  the Govt. was  declaring COVID death 12 to 17 per day in the state, the real COVID death only in  Bhubaneswaras  was 27 to  30 per  day during period of June to October,20. . 

• If  the said data  is taken into consideration, the   COVID  death rate  of per day at  present in May 2021  might be more  than 200 against official declaration of 15 to 17. That’s why  the  Govt. is going  to  establish  more  no. of  crematory  ground  in different  districts  including Bhubaneswar.

1. Suppressing fact about COVID death  is  designed  as image-building exercise  of Nabin Patnaik Govt.  and show  of  proof  of effective management of COVID situation by the Govt. of Odisha  which is false  and misleading.

 Pradip Pradhan

M-9937843482

Date- 17.5.21