The Margao Municipal Council (MMC) is staring at an escalating civic and public health cri sis, with its handling of unclaimed bodies drawing fierce criticism just days before the onset of the Holy Week — a period during which funeral services in the Catholic community are traditionally suspended. The timing could not be worse. From the evening of Maundy Thursday through Good Friday and Holy Sat urday, funerals are not con ducted, effectively halting burial services across large parts of South Goa. With the Hospicio Mortuary already operating at full capacity a situation highlighted in O Heraldo’s March 31 re-port titled ‘South Goa mor-tuary hits housefull crisis’ the pause threatens to push an already strained system into breakdown. –
At the centre of the con-troversy is the MMC’s re-fusal to accept external assistance to clear a grow-ing backlog of unclaimed bodies, some of which have reportedly remained in the mortuary for over three months.
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Youth leader Prabhav Naik revealed that a com-munity organisation had formally stepped in with both logistical and finan-cial support an offer that was declined by the civic body.
“Madganvcho Awaaz had approached with a letter and payment to facilitate the disposal of ten un-claimed bodies from Hospi-cio Mortuary. Unfortunate-ly, the Margao Municipality has refused to accept the payment,” Naik said.
The refusal has intensified criticism that the Council is failing to respond to an urgent and time-bound crisis, even as the window for intervention rapidly narrows. In a letter addressed to the MMC Chief Officer, Naik flagged that the mortuary has already reached full capacity and stressed the need for immediate coordination to pre vent further accumulation. He underscored that delays in disposing of the dead are not merely administrative lapses but raise serious concerns of sanitation, public health and dignity. “Any delay in this essential duty amounts to negligence,” he stated. Political criticism has been equally sharp. Savio Coutin ho, Margao Congress Block Convener, accused the Council of adopting a “callous and irresponsible” approach while continuing to cite lack of funds as justification for inaction. “It is unacceptable that the Council claims it has no funds to carry out essential duties like disposing of unclaimed bodies, but has no hesitation in spending lakhs of rupees on events,” Coutinho said. “This clearly shows a lack of sen sitivity and accountability.
