Irate over the lack of designated burial facilities for the four leg creatures and birds, pet owners and animal lovers in the twin-city are up in arms against the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) for their apathy and insensitivity towards solving the issue.
Twin city lacks burial ground for stray animals
Despite the increasing number of pet population and stray animals, the twin-city still lacks a single burial ground/ crematorium for them. Stung by the heart wrenching incident in which the carcases of around 7 to 8 dogs were allegedly found dumped near MBMC’s lone sterilization centre in Uttan which is run by a private agency, activists of the Ziddi Maratha Pratishthan (ZMP) have decided to launch a peaceful agitation in the form of a signature campaign outside the civic headquarters in Bhayandar (west) to register their protest against the lack of animal cemeteries/ burial ground in the twin-city.
“The deceased animals and birds are entitled for a proper cremation but they are deprived of lack of facilities, this is very unfortunate. Apart from the signature campaign, we will hand over forms to participating pet lovers and animal activists seeking their opinion and demands, before taking up the matter with civic officials.” said AMP vice president-Nilesh Sahu. Supporting the need for a cemetery, veterinary department officials, however, refuted the charges that dogs operated at the sterilization unit were being dumped by the operators while claiming that deceased animals were buried by digging pits near the dump yard.
Details of undergoing efforts for the crematoriums
“Apart from a long-term measure in place to set up animal incinerators at four upcoming crematoriums, efforts were on to set up a facility to provide hassle-free cremations at the earliest.” said an officer requesting anonymity.
- “Due to the absence of a cemetery, pet owners and animal lovers find it difficult to find a burial place. For many who consider the pets or even strays as family it becomes much tougher as in their short span of life they leave behind unforgettable memories. It’s the duty of the MBMC to set up cemeteries to give them a proper send off on their demise.” said a pet owner in Mira Road.
- Incinerators are either electrically powered or PNG (piped natural gas) fuelled high temperature chambers that can reach up to a certain degree which is required for efficient and complete combustion of the animal carcasses in an environment friendly manner.
2018 Census Figures in Limbo
Despite a comprehensive census conducted under the union government’s Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Fisheries in 2018, the MBMC remains oblivious about the present overall animal population of the twin-city. Nevertheless, rough estimates suggest a stray dog count of over 40,000, officials said.
