The pet incinerator installed at the pet cemetery in Nehru Nagar, Pimpri, is not yet operational despite being installed over a year ago owing to the delay in finalising monetary decisions for laying pipelines for CNG.
Apparently, Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) are both adamant on not compromising on the investment in the project for laying pipelines on the 800 metre stretch.
The need for an incinerator was felt when the burial ground went out of space. It has close to 3,000 pets buried on the premises.
The incinerator machine was installed about 14 months ago at the pet cemetery, the only corporation-run cemetery in the State. The veterinary department of the PCMC has successfully got all permissions and is now waiting for the CNG pipeline to be laid as fuel is the prime need for operating the machine.
Dr Satish Gore, Chief Veterinary Officer of PCMC, said, “The problem is that all other options apart from CNG will increase the cost of a single incineration by 3-4 times. For example, using LPG will cost at least 1,400 per incineration, while CNG will cost Rs 300-400.”
MNGL officials said that a proposal has been sent to the veterinary department and that the PCMC has to take a call on it. Dr Gore said the cost was high and is expecting some concession or subsidy, since it is not for a completely commercial purpose. He said, “It is difficult for a smaller department like us to invest so much on laying pipelines. We have even written to the Union Government to look into the matter.”
However, MNGL officials said, “We have been paying the rights of usage of
Rs 5,000 per metre to the PCMC. The proposal sent to the veterinary department includes this cost. If the PCMC is ready to waive this amount for their own department, the cost will come down by 30 per cent. The laying of pipelines will then cost close to Rs 2-3 lakh.”