When Harleen Sabbrawal’s Labrador Julie died last month, she had to turn to her gardener to deal with her remains. “I didn’t know what to do with her body. Our gardener came forward to help us. He must have buried her in an empty plot somewhere,” said the resident of KB Block.

Mita Baid of BD Block went all the way to the burial ground in Thakurpukur when her Golden Retriever Rooger passed away in 2011. “The ambience there was very soothing and whenever we would visit him we would feel at peace to know that he was resting in such a nice place. But the distance was too much. It would take us two-and-a-half hours to reach and we could never visit him as often as we would have liked. So we exhumed his remains from the ground six months later and buried him in a plot we own on the E.M. Bypass,” said Mita.

Pet owners who have to bid adieu to their loved one in the days to come would have a corner closer home to lay them to rest. Bidhannagar Municipality has started work a month ago on a burial ground in Mollar Bheri, about 3km from Karunamoyee crossing. Apart from a burial ground, the municipality would have an air-conditioned hearse for the final journey of pets.

The announcement of the burial ground for pets was made in 2013 at the annual dog show that is part of Bidhannagar Mela (Utsav). “Many residents of Salt Lake have pets. This was their long-standing demand,” civic chairperson Krishna Chakraborty said. “Being a dog lover myself, I am aware of the predicament that people face when their pets leave them. Salt Lake being a planned area, we decided to have a designated space where to bury our pets,” added the lady who has a German Shepherd Dog and a Labrador at home.

A part of Mollar Bheri fenced off for the pet burial ground. (Saradindu Chaudhury)

Mollar Bheri is in Mahisbathan, an added area of Salt Lake, where the waste of the municipal area is dumped. A part of it will be cleaned to make space for the burial ground.

Debasish Jana, chairman-in-council member who is looking after the project, stated that work on the 10-cottah land had started in February. The initial work of demarcating the area has been done with bamboo fencing. Now soil will be dumped to level the area. “Deodar trees will be planted so as to create a wall of green. Trees like Krishnachura and Radhachura would create a colourful canopy over the resting place. Seasonal flowers as well as hedges would be planted. There would also be seating arrangements for those coming to bury their pets,” said Jana. The project cost has been pegged at Rs 10 lakh.

Mixed feelings

Most pet lovers are delighted to learn of the development. “This initiative by the civic body is praiseworthy. We treat our pets as our family member so in death too they deserve to be treated as one. A burial ground nearby would allow us to visit their tomb whenever we want to,” said Manika Bhattacharyya of GD Block.

But not everyone agrees. Tapas Sengupta of Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) Kennel Club feels that though a burial ground is a good step taken by Bidhannagar Municipality it is not a long-standing solution. “A crematorium is the best option as it saves space and minimises health hazards. Since we treat our pets like our children, it would pain us to bury them in a dumping ground,” said Sengupta.

Arijit Mukherjee of Dog Owners and Lovers Association, based in BC Block, also said that a burial ground could not be an alternative for a crematorium. “A burial ground needs huge space. What will happen when there will be no more space available for fresh burials?,” said Mukherjee.

Lone cemetery

Since 1992, Nikhilbanga Kalyan Samity runs a pet burial ground in Thakurpukur that is spread over 30 acres. Secretary of the organisation, Pranab Guha, said the charge for burial there is Rs 1,000. “But those who want to place a tombstone with a message engraved have to pay more. One can bring a ready tombstone or seek our help to make one.” The charges for the Mollar Bheri ground will be announced after the Lok Sabha election.