Sunday, December 21, 2008
From correspondents in Tripura, India, 03:30 PM IST
Tripura and Mizoram Sunday banned the import of poultry from the bird flu-hit states of Assam and West Bengal, besides adjoining Bangladesh, officials said.
'The state government has set up check gates at the Assam-Tripura border and asked security forces to maintain a strict vigil along the border with Bangladesh to prevent import of poultry and poultry products,' said U. Venkateswarlu, principal secretary with the Tripura government.
'There are no reports of avian flu attack in Tripura, but we cannot remain complacent,' the official told reporters here.
The Mizoram government has also issued a similar ban.
'The Mizoram government has asked traders not to import poultry and poultry products from outside the state and asked its officials to maintain a close vigil along the border,' said C. Sangnghina, director of the animal husbandry and veterinary department.
More than 80 Rapid Response Teams have been kept on standby in Tripura to deal with symptoms of bird flu.
The northeastern state of Tripura was affected by avian influenza in April and May this year, forcing the authorities to cull over 200,000 birds.
At least eight Assam districts were hit by the bird flu virus two weeks ago after hundreds of chicken and ducks died suddenly. More than 400,000 poultry have been culled in Assam after the outbreak, officials said.
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