CHANDIGARH, Feb. 7 -- Terming the state health authorities stand that the government ambulances are not meant to carry dead bodies as "administrative insensitivity" and a "grave abdication of constitutional and moral responsibility", Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has taken a suo motu cognizance of a woman's body being taken from Badshah Khan Civil Hospital in Faridabad to a village on a motorised open pushcart. The HHRC has stated that the "grave and disturbing incident" pertains to the body of Anuradha, 35, who died during treatment at Badshah Khan Civil Hospital in Faridabad on January 28. The body was taken to her home on a motorised open pushcart due to the family's inability to pay for transportation charges. The HHRC has directed the health department to frame a policy for ensuring free of cost transportation of the body, in case a patient belonging to an economically weaker family dies during treatment in any civil hospital of the state. The HHRC has also directed additional chief secretary (health) and director general of police (DGP) to submit their action taken reports a week before when the case will come up for resumed hearing on April 2. "The incident raises serious issues concerning the state's obligation to ensure dignity, humane treatment and access to essential public services for persons belonging to economically weaker sections of society," HHRC's full commission comprising chairperson Justice (retired) Lalit Batra and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia observed in its February 4 order. On the basis of the material available, the commission stated that it's prima facie of the view that there was a failure of the public health and administrative system to ensure dignified handling of the body of the deceased. As per the HHRC order the family was reportedly asked to arrange Rs.700 for transporting the dead body, which they were unable to afford. In the absence of any ambulance or hearse facility being provided by the hospital or district administration, the family was compelled to make its own arrangement. "Dead body was transported to village Sarurpur on a motorised pushcart, an act that reflects not choice but compulsion born out of poverty and institutional neglect," the rights body has stated. Based on media reports--Dr MP Singh, deputy civil surgeon, Faridabad, has stated that there is no provision to carry corpses in health department ambulances....