Govt steps to tackle bird flu

Staff reporter
GUWAHATI, Dec 12 – The Chief Minster today directed the departments concerned to take all necessary measures to bring bird flu under control and to prevent its transmission to humans. The Chief Minister who was reviewing the bird flu-related situation with his Ministerial colleagues and senior officials at Dispur, also directed the Veterinary and Health Departments to work together to prevent a disaster.

Disclosing this, official sources here said that the Chief Minister has also directed administration to prohibit forthwith inter-district transportation of poultry and poultry products and made an appeal to the people to cooperate with the authorities in the culling operations. The meeting also decided to enhance the compensation rates of poultry to Rs 80 for each of the broiler variety of fowls, Rs 90 for each of the local variety of fowls, Rs 125 for each of the ducks and Rs 15 for each of the chicks and ducklings.

Culling of poultry in the bird flu affected areas of the State is going in the State, barring the Hajo Revenue Circle areas, where the drive against the disease has already come to conclusion.

The Veterinary Department has been preparing to send more serum and floacal samples from other areas of the State to the Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (HSADL) and the Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV).

Meanwhile, sale, purchase and transportation of poultry and cooked and raw poultry products are prohibited in the Kamrup and Kamrup (Metro) districts. Similar prohibitory orders on sale and transportation of poultry and poultry products have also been promulgated in the other districts from where reports of bird flu prevalence have been reported.

The Basistha Police in the city arrested last night four persons while they were trying to transport 470 poultry to Meghalaya. The persons identified to be Nazir Ali and Muquddar Ali—both owners of the birds and abdur Rahim and Zehirul Islam respectively driver and handyman of the vehicle used in the case, brought the poultry from Barpeta and were heading to Meghalaya. A case has been registered against them (617/08) in the police station.

The Basistha Police also arrested two persons Rafique Ali and Md Sahidul Ali from near the Beltola Social Service Office while they were carrying 84 poultry in gunny bags today. A case (618/08) has been registered against them by the police station, said official sources here.

The Goalpara district administration has also promulgated a similar order prohibiting sale and transportation of poultry and poultry products from and to the district. The measure has been initiated as a preventive step, said official sources in Goalpara.

Official sources in Goalpara told this newspaper that the Veterinary Department in association with the district administration of Goalpara seized today two cartons of eggs at Dudhnoi while the eggs were carried to Meghalaya.

The Goalpara District Veterinary Office today sent 19 sera and floacal samples of poultry to the North East Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (NERDDL) for forwarding them to Bhopal HSADL and Pune NIV. Earlier, the District Veterinary Office had sent 171 sera and floacal samples to the NERDDL for the same purpose.

Collection of sera and floacal samples of poultry in the district is on, said the sources.

Our Correspondents add:

Mangaldoi: There is no report of occurrence of bird flu from any part of Darrang District. However, sale of poultry and poultry products is prohibited in the district for an indefinite period.

Bongaigaon: Culling of poultry started in the Dagtola, Kakragaon and Simalaguri areas of Chirang District today, along with the Tengaigaon area of Bongaigaon District.

The owners of the poultry are unhappy with the compensation amount and they are resenting it to be meagre compared to the market value of the poultry. They have another reason to resent the culling of their birds, as, to them, their birds are healthy apparently. The resentment of the villagers has caused delay in the culling operations.