Bird flu: Culling on in Assam, WB's Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling dists

Guwahati/Siliguri, Jan 04: Even as Assam might soon be declared a "birdflu free zone" after culling of poultry ends in Kamrup (Rural) and Nagaon districts, culling operations were on in Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts in north Bengal for the second day on Sunday.

Authorities in north Bengal banned the sale and consumption of chicken and poultry products with 10 km radius of the epicentre Benoy Krishna pally at Matigara near here.

Siliguri SDO Sharad Dwivedi said culling started at Rajgunj block of Jalpaiguri, Matigara block of Siliguri police station, 34 wards of Siliguri Municipal Corporation and at Pubung under Takda block of Darjeeling sadar.

Twenty-two teams of nine members each including two policemen are carrying out the operation.

He said there were reports of resistance from poultry farms at Gate Bazar near here and the culling teams had sought police reinforcements.

A total 21,000 birds were targetted to be culled within three km radius of the affected areas in the two districts, he said but did not specify any time frame.

Last night 126 birds were culled at Benoy Krishna Palli, the deputy director of animal husbandry department and in-charge of the operations, Rabindra Nath Ghose said.

Darjeeling District Magistrate Surendra Gupta had said Rs 50 lakh had been allotted for the culling operation.

Culling on in Kamrup (rural), Nagaon

Guwahati, Jan 04 (PTI) Assam might soon be declared a "birdflu free zone" after culling of poultry ends in Kamrup (Rural) and Nagaon districts.

According to official sources, culling operations were going on in the two districts while they have been completed in Kamrup (Metro), Nalbari, Barpeta, Nalbari, Dibrugarh, Bongaigaon and Chirang districts.

"After the culling operation in Kamrup (Rural) and Nagaon district are over the state will be declared a 'birdflu free zone'," a source said.

Nearly six lakh birds have been so far been culled in Kamrup (Metro), Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Dibrugarh and Bongaigaon district.

The Centre had directed the state government to go for post operation surveillance programme in the areas where culling was conducted in accordance with the norms of the World Organisation of Animal Health.

Accordingly, deputy commissioners of districts where culling was over conducted the post operation surveillance programme and submitted sanitisation certificates to the Centre.

Currently culling operations are on in Chalchali and Gaonburachowk in Nagaon and Maniari Tiniali and Manahkuchi villages in Kamrup (Rural).

The authorities have been facing stiff resistance from the local people who along with poultry farmers are opposing culling by alleging that the compensation amount was not enough to meet the losses incurred due to the outbreak of avian flu.