Roshan Sedhai

Despite the contribution of the roughly 3 million migrant population abroad, the government has failed to build a proper morgue at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) that can store unattended corpses of Nepalis sent from foreign lands.

The country’s only international airport has been using a store room to keep the dead bodies, while it receives four corpses on an average every day. Let alone an air conditioner, the store lacks even a cooling system.

The bodies rotting and foul smell emanating from them have become common in and around the store. 
According to stakeholders, things turn more complicated when family members of the dead delay or do not show up to collect the body.

“Keeping the bodies during the summer is tougher. Sometimes, chemicals have to be used to keep the bodies from decaying further,” Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ganesh Chand said. According to him, it takes time for people from remote villages to travel to the Capital, while some don’t even get informed of the bodies arriving at the airport.

“In extreme cases, we request hospitals to keep the corpses in their morgues,” said Chand.

Moreover, the government has not assigned any agency or department to look after corpses that are sent from abroad. Airlines concerned, carriers, the customs office and the police are jointly dealing with the cases.

TIA General Manager Dinesh Shrestha said the TIA has a cooling system for two bodies. However, according to him, an overwhelming number of the bodies has created problems. He said his office is working to build a well-equipped morgue.

“We used to receive three dead bodies on an average every day, but the number is on the rise. We got five to nine bodies every day in the last two months,” Executive Director of the Foreign Employment Promotion Board Girija Sharma said. The Board was established for the welfare of migrant workers and their families. 

Though it collects Rs 1,000 from each migrant worker for the welfare fund, the Board has often been criticised for ignoring migrants’ issues.

“I was also told about the pollution created by the corpses. We will first inspect the site and take permission from other stakeholders, including the labour ministry, to set up a morgue or a cooling system,” said Sharma.

Published on: 26 June 2013 | The Kathmandu Post