As the national capital continues to grapple with the deadly COVID-19, three municipal corporations of Delhi on Thursday said that ‘there have been 2,098 funerals of Covid-19 positive patients’ at crematoriums and burial grounds, The Print reported.

These figures are almost double the death toll put out by the state government, which stood at 1,085 on Thursday.

‘The last rites of an additional over 200 suspected cases were also held as per the COVID-19 protocol,’ they said.

After the figures realed by the MCD surface, the state government said: ‘The Delhi government has set up a Death Audit Committee comprising senior doctors who are working impartially towards assessing deaths caused by coronavirus. The Hon’ble Delhi High Court has also declared that the Death Audit Committee is working in an appropriate manner and that the work of the committee cannot be questioned.’

‘We believe that not even a single life must be lost to coronavirus. This is a time to unite and save the lives of the people. This is not the time to make allegations after allegations, we all have to fight this pandemic together and ensure that not a single life is lost due to coronavirus,’ it added.

Addressing a press conference by mayors and standing committee heads of the North, South and East Delhi Municipal Corporations, South MCD standing committee head Bhupendar Gupta said: ‘There have been 2,098 funerals of Covid-positive patients in Delhi, out of which 1,080 are in South corporation, 976 in North corporation and 42 in East corporation.’

‘A doctor’s certificate, which says either positive or suspected for each body, is given. It is on this basis that we say there have been 2,098 deaths of confirmed cases,’ Gupta said.

‘Apart from the 2,098 confirmed cases, there were ‘over 200 suspected cases’ in which the last rites were conducted as per Covid-19 protocol. There are 77 suspected cases in North, 123 in South and 40 in East corporation,’ Jai Prakash, standing committee head of North MCD,said.

Gupta said he was ready to give out data to support his claims before a nodal officer appointed by the Delhi government or the Lieutenant-Governor.

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