‘Land meant for animal crematorium has been grabbed by local MLA to set up crematorium for human corpses.’
New Delhi: Pets have their way of wrapping the whole household around themselves and yet upon their deaths the owners have to travel miles in search of cremation grounds. While Google lists four crematoriums for pets in Delhi, but, unknown to many, there is a fifth crematorium meant for pets/strays in Mayur Vihar, but it is being used to cremate humans.
On the right side of the Delhi-Noida Link road adjoining the PWD flyover near the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border is a 1000-sq-metre land, which the residents of Chilla village use for cremating corpses. However, as per Delhi government’s Immovable Property Register, on 18 September 1978, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had handed over this plot to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to set up a cremation ground of dogs.
According to P.J.B. Khurana, president of the Mayur Kunj Resident Welfare Forum (RWF), “As Mayur Kunj is at a distance of just 200 yards from this cremation ground, every time the wind blows towards our direction we get the stench of burning corpses. There was no need to have a cremation ground here as Ghazipur cremation ground is much nearer to Chilla village than the Chilla Gaon Shamshan Bhumi. Sensing that something was fishy, on 26 September 2016 I filed an RTI with DDA, UP Irrigation, PWD and EDMC seeking replies on why East Delhi needed another cremation ground.”
In response to the RTI, on 6 October 2016 J.L. Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Land and Estate department submitted a status report, in which he said, “As per available map in Land and Estate Department, the area mentioned for crematorium for dog/pets is 1000 sq. metres. But the area of cremation ground for human is not mentioned.” He also mentioned that since a court case titled State of UP vs. GNCTD & Ors, regarding the ownership of the land is pending before the Supreme Court, hence, the EDMC cannot take any action until a proper demarcation of land is done by DDA as the matter is sub judice.
Regarding the 1000-sq-metre land, Surajmal Verma, the headman of Chilla village, said, “Our village has been cremating the dead on this land since ages and in 2016 tin sheds were installed. The land allotted for the pets is actually a small patch next to our cremation ground, but until now neither has anyone taken possession of the land, nor has any development taken place there.” Others like Shyam Chand, another Chilla resident said, “We have been holding funerals on this land since 1995. I never knew that this patch was originally given to MCD to set up a cremation ground for animals”
However, Khurana, one of the oldest residents of Mayur Kunj, said it’s a case of land grab and asserted that “I came to this area in 1993. I did not see any cremation taking place there ever.” “It’s only recently that Chilla’s villagers started burning corpses here. It was then that I filed a case in Delhi High Court and obtained a stay order against any further construction. Presently, MCD does not issue death certificates for corpses being burnt here, as it is illegal.”
The gate to the crematorium has the name of the local MLA painted on it, saying “This gate is the effort of Raju Dhingan.”