WITH open-pyre ceremonies now being allowed for Covid-19 victims, Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Kazim Hosein met with the heads of all 14 municipal corporations to discuss ways in which the ceremonies can be conducted in a safe manner.

Meetings were held last Thursday and also on Tuesday.

The municipal corporations are charged with responsibility for the management of the cremation sites and burial grounds.

In a press release from the ministry on Tuesday, the ministry stated that during the meeting on Thursday, the corporations gave status updates on the capacity and conditions of all public cemeteries and crematoria across the municipalities with specific emphasis on the availability of burial plots for those who passed away as a result of Covid-19.

Corporation officials indicated that at present no issues had arisen in relation to burials and that the capacity at most cemeteries was manageable at this time. 

The main concern then was the request for open-pyre cremations to be approved as many Hindu burgesses perform the sacred act as part of their religious ritual. 

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on January 15 granting approval for the re-opening of open-pyre cremations,  Hosein called the other meeting on Tuesday.

Each chairman indicated the current number of open-pyres within their respective municipalities as well as the current procedures in place to deal with the increase in the Covid-19 fatalities. 

Hosein said, “I want to commend you all for taking the initiative and putting things in place to ensure that the cremation sites are ready and available to your burgesses and members of the public. I know that there may be a surge in requests in some of the areas however it is important that we treat this matter with care and understanding and if the need arises we will adopt an All-of-Corporations approach.”

He advised the chairmen to set up a hotline number so that members of the public can easily access this service.

Hosein said, “When a loved one dies, there is so much emotion and if we can help citizens to ease the burden then I truly believe this is a good avenue to do so. We are the direct link between the people and the services offered so let us do our part to assist in these difficult times.” 

He also expressed his condolences to those who lost their loved ones as a result of the pandemic.

 The Ministry added that along with the 14 Corporations it will continue to work closely with key stakeholders including the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) legal advisor Dinesh Rambally in efforts to ease the backlog of cremations. 

Members of the public are encouraged to contact representatives from the Municipal Corporations listed, to make appointments or for further information on applying for open-air cremations:

Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation  

Liaison: Councillor Derek La Guerre. Contact: 773-2959

Liaison:  Randy Parey. Contact: 469-8772

Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation  

Liaison: Debbie Ramlochan. Contact: 739-6472

Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation  

Liaison: Kiva Semper. Contact: 644-2261 Ext. 5013 

Siparia Regional Corporation  

Liaison: Dr Curtis Sonny. Contact: 313-4039

Liaison: Cavelle Joseph. Contact: 742-4215 Office Line: 649-0179