Berhampur: While the memories of Kalahandi's Daana Majhi carrying his dead wife on his shoulder still fresh in the minds of people, the MKCG Hospital here witnessed yet another case of disrespect to the dead.

Relatives of patient Nanda Kishore Maharana, who died on Thursday afternoon in MKCG, were forced to carry his corpse in a cycle rickshaw in the absence of 'Mahaprayan' vehicle or any private hearse. The state government provides Mahaprayan vehicles to carry bodies.

"We took the body in the rickshaw till Courtpeta Square, which is a km away from MKCG. From there we arranged a vehicle to transport the body to Patapur," said Bipra Maharana, a relative who had accompanied Nanda Kishore to the hospital.

Though the Red Cross has two Mahaprayan hearses to carry bodies, they were not available. Out of two hearses, one is lying defunct.

Blood bank officials claimed that three other vehicles were available, but nobody approached us to book hearses. "I have clarified this to the MKCG Hospital superintendent on Friday," said an official who did not want to be quoted.

There was no other option as private ambulance operators were also on agitation. They were protesting the decision of the MKCG authorities to remove the vehicles from the hospital's no-parking zone. Hospital authorities suspect that private ambulance operators had hatched a conspiracy to defame the Mahaparayan scheme.

"We had no option but to carry the body in a rickshaw," Bipra said.

Under the Mahaparayan scheme of the Odisha government, bodies of the poor persons are transported from government hospitals to their homes free of cost.

The service is available at 30 district headquarters hospitals and three government medical colleges in Odisha.

The MKCG authorities and the Berhampur sub-collector had discussed the issue of non-availability of ambulance on Friday.