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Residents of Windy Ridge in the Takoradi metropolis of the Western Region have expressed anger over the burial of an unidentified man in the vicinity by city officials.

The deceased believed to be in his forties, was found dead in an uncompleted building with the body almost at a decomposed state, at Windy Ridge, a suburb of Takoradi.

An eye witness told the GNA that a young lady prompted some auto mechanics in the area who followed up and saw the body in that state.
 
He said after police reports and inspection, a hole was dug few meters away, and the decomposed body was buried there.

The fear of the residents is that it might emit foul smell and expose them to diseases or some even went further to suggest that the ghost may haunt the neighbourhood for the  improper burial ceremony.

Meanwhile, release from city authorities said “the burial was carried out in line with the standard practice of managing such cases”.

The statement endorsed by Mr John Laste, the Public Relations Officer, said a staff from the Environmental Health Unit accompanied the Police officer to inspect  the  corpse  after which the police  was  requested  to initiate  the  process  to  obtain  a Coroner’s report to enable the Assembly carry out the burial.

He said considering the state of decomposition, the team upon further consultation recommended that the body be buried at a nearby old sanitary site.

 In  choosing  the  site  for  the  burial,  the  inspection  team took  into consideration  factors  in  conformity  with  Public  Health regulations concerning the advanced state of decomposition, no water body nearby to be contaminated, residential facilities are farther from the burial site.

The release said it recommended that the depth of grave-pit being six feet was strictly observed and the appropriate  chemicals  were  sprayed  in  and  around  where  the  body  was found and finally buried, to avert likelihood of an epidemic.

It said in relation to alleged shallow grave-pit for the corpse and stench in and around the area  after  the  burial,  a  report  from  joint  inspection  team  made  up  of  a representative  from  Effikuma  Police  division,  the  Assembly  Member,  some residents of the area as well as officers from Environmental Health unit and Waste Management department of the Assembly detailed to the place, found otherwise.

 Mr Laste said  "the  Assembly  wishes  to assure the  general  public  particularly  residents in and around the New Site ‘D’ Compound that, the decision to bury the corpse at the old sanitary  site  was  taken  after  careful  consideration  of  all  environmental implications”.

He said “the Assembly is committed to ensuring a healthy and safe environment for  the people  in  the Metropolis  and  therefore  there  is  no  cause  for worry. "