Dignity Beyond Life: Punjabiyat Foundation Launches National Campaign to Demand Animal Cremation Centres in India

VMPL
Ludhiana (Punjab) [India], June 30: India is facing a silent crisis: every day, animals -- beloved pets, street dogs, working cattle, and voiceless wildlife -- are dying without dignity. Their remains are often dumped in garbage yards, left to decay in public spaces, or burned in the open. This inhumane and unsafe practice not only violates our moral responsibility but also endangers public health, sanitation, and the environment.
In response, The Punjabiyat Foundation has launched a powerful national campaign titled "Dignity Beyond Life", calling for the urgent establishment of animal cremation and memorial centres across India. The campaign urges the government to recognise the need for a structured, ethical, and environmentally safe system to manage the disposal of deceased animals.
"We must ask ourselves -- what does it say about our civilisation if we discard dead animals like waste?" says Adab Bhandari, Founder of The Punjabiyat Foundation.
"India prides itself on ahimsa and compassion. But those values are hollow if the voiceless are denied even the most basic dignity after death."
The Crisis: Inhumane Animal Disposal and Public Health Risks
India currently lacks a standardised system for pet cremation and animal carcass disposal. In the absence of formal facilities, grieving pet owners are often forced to bury or burn their companions in unsafe or illegal ways. Municipal bodies and sanitation workers, meanwhile, are left with no resources or protocols to handle the bodies of stray or working animals.
This results in:
* Unregulated dumping in landfills or drains
* Open burning, contributing to toxic air pollution
* Exposure to zoonotic diseases, putting communities at risk
* Emotional distress for families unable to say a dignified farewell
In rural India, the problem is more acute, with no access to animal cremation centres or trained waste management staff, carcasses are left to rot in fields and riverbeds, contaminating soil and water sources.

The Demand: Humane, Regulated Animal Cremation Infrastructure
Punjabiyat Foundation's campaign proposes a replicable, government-supported model for animal cremation and afterlife care centres in India. These would be public service centres available to pet families, animal rescue groups, and local municipal bodies.
Each centre would provide:
* Electric or gas-based cremation systems compliant with environmental norms
* Safe and hygienic animal disposal services for municipalities and vet hospitals
* Memorial options for grieving pet owners (urns, tree planting, remembrance walls)
* Partnerships with CSR initiatives, veterinary departments, and local NGOs
By addressing this neglected aspect of animal welfare infrastructure, the campaign aims to set a national precedent -- one that balances compassion with public responsibility.
"This is not just about animals. It's about health, urban hygiene, and what kind of society we're building," said Mr. Bhandari. "We're demanding an end to indifference -- and the beginning of a new civic standard rooted in empathy."
Support and National Mobilisation
The Foundation has launched an online petition on Change.org, calling on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, State Animal Welfare Boards, Municipal Corporations, and the Ministry of Environment to take immediate action. The campaign is gaining traction among:
* Animal welfare organisations
* Veterinary professionals
* Civic activists and environmental experts
* Grieving pet families and rescue volunteers
With rising awareness of urban animal health, public safety, and sustainable civic planning, the Foundation believes now is the time to act.
A Call to Citizens and Policymakers
India needs to lead by example. Countries around the world have implemented pet cremation centres and municipal programs for animal remains. Yet in India -- a country that reveres cows, worships animals in temples, and celebrates compassion -- there is no basic infrastructure for animals after death.
This campaign asks a simple but powerful question:
If we love animals in life, why do we abandon them in death?
"Let us no longer look away. Let us no longer treat the death of an animal as a nuisance to be cleaned up. Let us treat it as a moment that demands respect," said Mr. Bhandari.
"We are calling on India to become the first nation in South Asia to institutionalise dignity in death
-- not just for people, but for animals too."
* Sign the Petition: www.change.org/punjabiyat-foundation
Join The Punjabiyat Foundation in building a more humane, responsible, and modern India -- where animal welfare is not just a sentiment, but a structured reality.
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