A tribal man who didn’t have the money to afford a hearse had to carry his wife’s body on a trolley rickshaw from a hospital to his home in Soro block of Odisha’s Balasore district.

The incident has exposed the shortcomings in the state government’s “Mahaprayan” scheme under which free hearse service is provided to the poor who cannot pay for it.

In the face of criticism, the Balasore district administration has asked the hospital authorities to submit a report on the issue by Monday.

Guruba Singh from Chhupulia village under Dahisada panchayat had admitted his wife Mamata to the Community Health Centre at Soro on Friday morning after she fell ill. Mamata passed away late in the evening.

Guruba, who is in his mid-30s and works as a daily labourer, said: “The authorities did not provide me a hearse when I asked for it. I had no idea whom to turn to for help. The private hearse operators asked me to take the hearse from them, but they demanded Rs 1,500 for carrying my wife’s body. I did not have that much money with me. Later, I agreed to pay Rs 1,000 but when they did not agree, I decided to take the body on my own trolley rickshaw.”

Guruba also alleged that when his family members contacted the 108 ambulance service, the operators said they did not carry bodies and asked them to get in touch with the hearse service.

Guruba’s harrowing experience was a grim reminder of the 2016 incident in which Kalahandi’s Danaa Majhi had to carry the body of his wife on his shoulders for 12km after failing to get a hearse. The incident had raised a question mark on the efficacy of the state’s health care system.

However, soon after that incident, the Odisha government came out with the “Mahaprayan” scheme.

Chief district medical officer of Balasore Dr Dulalsen Jagdev told The Telegraph: “The news has also shocked me. I don’t know why the hospital staff refused to give the hearse. I tried to find out whether there was any miscommunication or if it was a case of deliberate neglect on the part of the hospital authorities. A probe has been ordered. Once the report comes by Monday, we will initiate action against whoever is found guilty.”