GHAZIABAD: Civic authorities in Ghaziabad have issued 8,250 death certificates between March and May this year, four times the number issued during the corresponding period last year.
The number of death certificates issued from March to April last year was 2,100.
In the first five months of this year, Ghaziabad has issued 11,800 certificates.
Around 70% of these documents — 5,422 — were given out in May, when the Covid pandemic was at its height in the district.
In May last year, Ghaziabad had registered just 477 deaths.
In whole of 2020, 18,700 certificates were issued in the district.
The issuing of death certificates saw an increase from the beginning of this year itself.
While 1,890 certificates were issued in January, the figure rose to 1,661 in February, 1,396 in March, 1,448 in April and eventually 5,422 in May.
In comparison, the authorities issued 1,124 certificates in March, which dropped to 501 in April and 477 in May 2020.
The Covid toll has also seen a sharp rise this year.
Ghaziabad recorded 349 Covid deaths till May this year.
In entire 2020, 102 patients had succumbed to the infection.
Senior officials in the health department and the Ghaziabad administration refused to comment on the increasing number of death certificates.
Officials posted in the rural areas were more forthcoming.
Manoj Kumar Mishra, the chief executive officer of the Dasna nagar panchayat, said death certificates issued in the month of April and May were higher compared to the previous months.
“In May, we issued 37 death certificates while in April, it was 17.
In January, February and March together, it was only 12,” Mishra said.
Shubhangi Shukla, the SDM of Loni, said, “While the number of death certificates issued in Loni has been definitely higher in recent months, the exact figures are awaited.
We are still in the process of compiling the data.
But in May, it was three times that of February.” The local bodies that issue death certificates in Ghaziabad are the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation, Khoda-Makanpur Nagar Palika, Loni Nagar Palika, Dasna Nagar Panchayat, Modinagar Palika and Muradnagar Nagar Palika.