Imphal, October 20: The stench of death and rotting bodies awaits RIMS campus as staff of the premier institute's Department of Forensic Medical have braced up to launch a cease work strike to protest denial of post mortem allowance (PMA) of around Rs two lakhs.

The said allowance is to be sanctioned/released by the State's home Department at the rate of Rs 100 per dissected corpse.

A single dissection involves a doctor, technician and dissector belonging to the grade-IV rank.

Informed sources charged that the PMA concerning RIMS mortuary had not be released since 1999 while some district dissection team had not been provided the incentive since around 1994.Even though deaths had become a common phenomenon in the State and the RIMS mortuary is one of the most busy departments the held up PMA amount (Rs 2,71,900) concerns 2831 dissections carried out so far since June, 1999.A source from the Department of Forensic Medicine further alleged that Home Department authorities as well as the RIMS Director, who is also the medico-legal advisor had been urged to initiate release of the pending PMA on numerous occasions but to no avail.

The latest reminder on the matter pertains to submission of a memorandum by the RIMS forensic department staff to the Joint Secretary (Home) on October 14 with a condition that the staff would go on a cease work strike in case the demand (PMA) is not conceded within October 22, conveyed the source.

In case of negative response the department employees would launch a strike from the next day.

The cease work agitation besides affecting post mortem procedures also stand to impede activities relating to medico-legal context which is normally carried out by the Department of Forensic Medicine staff, cautioned another source.

Unlike other employees of State or Central Governments who are entitled to draw allowances without shedding much sweat, the forensic department staff have to work under trying circumstances as slicing through human body parts in no child's play, asserted the source while adding that there is always fear and apprehension of the dissectors getting infected as the corpses are not necessarily free from infectious diseases.

It may be noted that RIMS mortuary conducts post mortem pertaining to cases from Imphal East/West and Bishnupur districts and occasionally from Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong, Chandel and Thoubal district areas.

It is also noteworthy that RIMS morgue is the only place where facilities for keeping bodies are comparatively better.

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