CHITWAN: Increasing number of unclaimed dead bodies has become a problem for the Bharatpur Hospital to deal with. The morgue of the hospital in the district headquarters is full with bodies of those killed in road accidents and swept away by floods.

The hospital has been receiving an average 15 such unclaimed dead bodies in a month, says Chairperson of the Hospital Development Committee Bijaya Subedi. All the bodies of road accidents in the district are brought to the hospital for post-mortem, thereby increasing the influx of dead bodies in the hospital.

Likewise, people swept away by the Trisuli, Narayani, Kaligandaki and Rapti rivers and found unattended are too brought by police to the morgue of the hospital. The morgue however has a capacity to hold only six bodies.

The management of the dead bodies however falls under the responsibility of the local bodies. A permanent solution should be sought through discussion with all the stakeholders, says senior engineer at the Bharatpur municipality, Bharat Acharya.

Until five months ago, the municipality was disposing off the dead bodies at the local Jaldevi Community Forest but it had to be stopped following protests by the forest users committee.

As per the regulation, it is the duty of the local VDC and municipality to manage the dead bodies, so they should come up with a long-term solution for the same, says Chief District Officer of Chitwan Binod Prakash Singh.