Patiala MC to buy animal incinerator

Ravneet Singh

Patiala, October 31

Faced with a space crunch for disposal of carcasses amid the lumpy skin disease, the Municipal Corporation (MC) is now planning to purchase an animal incinerator. The recent spread of the lumpy skin disease and swine flu exhausted the land available for the purpose under the corporation’s ambit.

The MC has been facing issues to manage carcasses of stray animals for long. Earlier the carcasses were taken away by contractors, but that stopped after the Department of Animal Husbandry released a notification to manage animal carcasses according to an SOP.

Officials then started dumping the carcasses at hada rori (a place where bodies of dead animals are kept for removal of hides and final disposal) near the dumping ground here. But the number of animal carcasses increased due to the spread of the lumpy skin disease and swine fever and the land available to the corporation behind the hada rori was ultimately exhausted.

The MC then identified a land for the purpose at Falauli village, but was met with protests by residents of the nearby area.

An MC official said, “A team of MC officials recently visited Ambala to take a look at the functioning of an animal incinerator. The incinerator will be used to manage and dispose of the carcasses without the need of dumping them. It will be a one-time investment after which the MC will only need to incur the cost of operating the machine.”

MC Superintending Engineer Rajinder Chopra said the MC will most likely purchase an LPG run machine. “A detailed project report on the matter is being prepared. The corporation will be the only body to have purchased the equipment in the region. A tender will be floated for its purchase after it is approved by the department officials.”