A Crematorium for pets as well as 10 dog sterilisation centres,which were supposed to come up in the Capital,have become stuck due to problems related to land use. And even as delays follow delays,it has become evident that Delhi pet lovers will have to wait for a while before they can avail of the facilities. Though the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had announced last year that it will create health facilities for animals in the city,it was discovered that the site chosen was not marked for constructing hospitals. The 27-acre plot in Mukundpur was earlier encroached on and used as a landfill site. Officials said the facility cannot be built until the land use is changed. The veterinary hub will house a pig pound,a pig slaughter house,a horse pound,10 dog sterilisation centres,a canine cremation ground and a veterinary dispensary. At present,there is no government-owned cremation ground for pets in the Capital. With an increasing number of people keeping pets,the demand for such facilities have also gone up. For cattle owners,the veterinary hub will be a one-stop place to get check-ups and treatment done. Also,there is a lack of sterilisation centres. Considering that the number of stray dogs has gone up,it is essential to have more centres of the kind, an MCD official said. He said the civic body had sent the files to the Urban Development department under the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD),but nothing happened over the last one year. Meanwhile,the MCD has started building a boundary wall in the area to discourage encroachment, the official said,adding that the civic body cannot start construction work on the land until the land use is changed. The announcement was first made by MCD Commissioner K S Mehra during the civic bodys Budget on December 8. He said the MCD has appealed to the Delhi government to include the project in the 2011-12 annual plan. At present,the civic body is in the process of meeting officials from the Urban Development ministry to speed up the process. Land use changes are made after receiving the departments approval.
