Amit Shah/FILE
The last rites of some COVID-19 victims were conducted by hospitals here following a directive of Home Minister Amit Shah and with the consent of their families, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Tuesday.
The last rites of 36 more coronavirus victims in the national capital will be carried out on Wednesday, it said.
"Following Union Home Minister @AmitShah's directions, all hospitals in #Delhi (Central/state/private) performed the last rites of #COVID19 deceased with consent/presence of their families/relatives," a home ministry spokesperson tweeted.
The spokesperson said the last rites of remaining 36 deceased will be conducted by Wednesday as their families were not present in Delhi.
There will be no delays going forward, the spokesperson said. However, it is not immediately known the total number of victims whose last rites were performed on Tuesday.
The last rites were performed at cremation and burial grounds under supervision of hospitals.
The home minister swung into action to handle the coronavirus situation in the national capital after criticism in different quarters of the Delhi government's handling of the COVID-19 cases with complaints of non-availability of beds in hospitals for patients and difficulty in getting the tests done in laboratories.
The home minister has been leading from the front after taking charge of Delhi's fight against coronavirus.
On Sunday, he held two high-level meetings with the LG Anil Baijal, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, mayors and commissioners of Delhi's three municipal corporations to strengthen the strategy to fight the pandemic.
The home minister had announced on Sunday that COVID-19 testing will be doubled in Delhi in two days from then, and subsequently increased by three times.
On Monday, Shah paid a surprise visit to the city's LNJP hosptal to take stock the facilities there and subsequently directed the Delhi Chief Secretary to install CCTV cameras in COVID-19 wards of every designated hospital in the national capital for proper monitoring, and set up alternative canteens for uninterrupted supply of food to the patients.
