The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated, Mahatma Gandhi had once said. Nowadays, animal lovers leave no stone unturned to get the best of treatment for their pets as well as the community animals. Pet owners, especially, do not hesitate to spend heavy sums on the treatment of their beloved pets.
However, although people are willing to pay, yet not all pet clinics and hospitals are well equipped. Pet owners in Ghaziabad were facing the problem of the lack of an ultrasound facility for long. However, their problem has been fixed now as an ultrasound machine has been set up at the Tiger Memorial Pet Clinic at Kavinagar in collaboration with the district administration.
Former Chief Development Officer (CDO), Ghaziabad, Ms. Asmita Lal, IAS, helped install the machine to facilitate the treatment of animals, so that diseases can be detected fast and proper treatment can be given. Indian Masterminds spoke to Ms. Lal, who is now posted as ACEO in the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA), to get more details.
UNDERSTANDING THE PAIN OF ANIMALS
Understanding the pain of the voiceless, Ms. Lal got the facility installed at the Tiger Memorial Pet Clinic located at Kavinagar in the city, when she was the CDO of Ghaziabad district. The facility brought cheer to pet owners and stray animal caregivers alike, since the centre mainly caters to street dogs and cats.
ANIMAL DIAGNOSTIC FACILITY
In her short interaction with Indian Masterminds, Ms. Asmita Lal said that this facility was much needed as animals can’t speak and so we have to understand their problems. “Ghaziabad and its adjoining cities have a large number of domesticated dogs and cats. The place of these voiceless in those homes is that of a family member. With this machine, it is possible to examine various internal organs, including stones, pregnancy test, TB lump, in dogs and cats. Due to the lack of an ultrasound machine, various diseases in these silent animals could not be detected earlier and they could not get proper treatment. Now the ultrasound investigation will detect abnormalities and treatment can be started.”
According to an estimate, the number of domesticated dogs in Ghaziabad is around 20,000.
Ms. Lal also said that the ultrasound facility will be free for street animals, while a minimum charge will be taken from pet owners.
FIRST CANINE CREMATORIUM
During her tenure as Chief Development Officer, Ms. Lal undertook many animal welfare initiatives in Ghaziabad, for which she had received recognition from the state and the central governments. Through her personal efforts, she had started the first dog crematorium of Uttar Pradesh, with an electric cremation facility. It was constructed near the Nandi Park, close to the Hindon river.
The facility uses piped natural gas (PNG) as fuel and cremate community dogs for free. However, officials said,pet owners have to pay Rs 500. The facility was constructed at a cost of Rs. 989,000 using CSR funds.
Ms. Asmita Lal will always be remembered by the people of Ghaziabad for her thoughtful animal welfare initiatives. She had, in effect, become the voice of the voiceless!
