The Palamaner police and municipal staff on Tuesday night defused a tense situation at a village on the outskirts of the town when a group of residents objected to cremating the body of a farmer, who reportedly died of COVID-19, at a field owned by his family members.
The man was shifted to a Tirupati hospital a few days ago when he showed signs of the virus. He died while undergoing treatment on Tuesday. When the family members tried to cremate the body in their field, neighbours took objection to their decision.
Municipal Commissioner (Palamaner) Vijayasimha Reddy and Circle Inspector M. Jayaramaiah took steps to arrange the cremation at a piece of vacant land nearby that belonged to the revenue department.
Cases increasing
With as many as 20 COVID-19 positive cases getting registered in Palamaner municipality in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 342, including 12 casualties, it led to an uneasy situation among the residents. The COVID-19 task force officials said that rapid tests had been intensified at the area hospital at Palamaner and the primary health centres as well, covering the urban limits.
