MCD pet crematorium in Delhi set to open in 2 weeks

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi is likely to operationalise the much-delayed municipal pet crematorium in Dwarka in the next two weeks, officials aware of the matter said.

The project — first such civic body-run setup in the city — was reportedly stuck due to absence of a gas pipeline connection in the area. But now, Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL)has laid down a three-km-long pipeline to the site located in Dwarka sector 29, facilitating the operation of furnaces at the crematorium, the officials added.

“We are giving finishing touches to the project. We plan to make it operational in the next couple of weeks,” a senior municipal corporation official from the veterinary department said, requesting anonymity.

The government-run facility is spread up on a 700 square metre site inside a four acre dog complex in Sector 29, where a sterilisation centre is also operational.

A memorial garden for pets is also coming up at the site where pet owners will be able to plant a tree after their name, according to officials of Green Revolution Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, which is overseeing the implementation of the project.

Sahib Sawhney, head of the NGO, said the work on installation of the two CNG furnaces at the crematorium has been completed. “We have committed to the municipal corporation to make both the units operational this month,” he said.

The crematorium has two CNG furnaces with a biomass capacity of a 200kg and a 150kg each. The two furnaces will cater to 10 private pets and 15 small street animals in a day, with each cremation cycle lasting 30 minutes to an hour, officials said.

The crematorium complex will also have a green belt in its periphery, an ash storage facility and a prayer room with a priest. A bathing unit has also been earmarked for providing a bath before the cremation and priest will be deputed carry out the rituals, official said.

The municipal corporation has also fixed cremation rates at ₹2,000 for animals which weigh less than 30kg, and ₹3,000 for those weighing more than that — which is relatively lesser than the rates charged by such private units operating in the city.

At present, there are around half a dozen private operators in Delhi providing cremation facilities for pets. The cost for an animalweighing 25kg is between ₹6,000- ₹7,000 for a traditional pyre cremation while the electric method could cost between ₹9,000- ₹10,000. For animals which weigh less than 15kg, the cost (for cremation via electric and CNG furnaces is around ₹5,000. For unclaimed carcasses, the civic body also runs an animal rendering plant near Ghazipur slaughterhouse.

Officials of IGL declined to comment on the matter despite requests.

The project was first conceptualised in 2018 by the erstwhile south corporation, and is being executed in a public–private partnership mode with the entire cost of construction, upkeep, and maintenance of the crematorium being taken up by the NGO. As part of the agreement, the corporation has allotted land for the cremation centre while the civic body will retain its ownership. While initially the corporation planned to set up a dog-only crematorium, the project has been expanded to include other small animals such as cats, goat, sheep and monkeys.