Coimbatore to get crematorium for pets

COIMBATORE: Coimbatore will soon have an exclusive crematorium facility for pets to help pet owners give a respectful farewell to their loved ones. Animals, weighing up to 40-50 kg, can be cremated in the facility being created by Rotary Club of Coimbatore Smart City.

A foundation stone for the construction of the facility was laid on Monday. District collector G S Sameeran, police commissioner V Balakrishnan and corporation commissioner M Prathap took part in the foundation stone laying event.

The crematorium is being built on a piece of land adjacent to the corporation dog shelter in Seeranaickenpalayam. The piece of land belongs to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

Secretary of Rotary Club of Coimbatore Smart City Chirag Vora said that similar facilities are available only in tier one cities in the country. In Tamil Nadu, such a facility is available only in Chennai. The Rotary Club is creating the facility with the help of donors at an estimated cost of Rs 20-25 lakh.

“We have completed the paperwork with the city corporation. The construction will begin soon. We expect work to be completed by February. Volunteers will be deployed in place to operate the facility,” he said.

President of Rotary Club of Coimbatore Smart City Aparna Sunku and project Chair Mutuza M Raja were also present during the foundation stone laying ceremony.

The corporation commissioner said SPCA was brought to life again to take care of animal welfare. Rotary Club came up with the idea of installing a crematorium for animals, which the corporation immediately accepted and allotted land. While Rotary would take up work with its own funding, the civic body would pitch in with some work under the Namakku Naame Thittam, he added.