The Hindu : National : No bird flu report from new areas

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Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008
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National

No bird flu report from new areas

Special Correspondent

Ban on sale of poultry products in 14 municipality markets

The culling target has been revised to 25 lakh birds
Over five lakh families have been affected

Kolkata: Though there were no reports of avian flu from new districts in West Bengal — 13 have so far been affected — the civic authorities in the city’s Salt Lake area are taking no chances and have imposed a week-long ban on the sale of chicken and other poultry products in municipality markets there from Tuesday.

Teams would be visiting the 14 municipality markets that fall within the jurisdiction of the Bidhannagar municipality to ensure that the ban was put into effect, chairman-in-council of the civic body, Nanda Gopal Bhattacharya, told The Hindu here on Monday.

“The step has been taken in view of the spread of avian flu over the past few days in the areas of Howrah district adjoining the city and unconfirmed reports of bird deaths in the Rajarhat area [of North 24 Parganas] whose cause is yet to be ascertained,” he added.

The culling of 22 lakh birds in areas affected by the disease so far was expected to be completed by Tuesday, Anisur Rahaman, Minister for Animal Resources Development, said.

The culling target was revised to 25 lakh birds in the wake of the more recent spread of avian flu and should be met within the next two days, the Minister added.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, in a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, has urged the Centre to provide 50 per cent matching grant for alternative schemes to be taken up for the families whose earnings were affected owing to the outbreak.

More than five lakh families have so far been affected, according to State government figures. The preliminary estimates of losses suffered have been pegged at Rs.150 crore.

As poultry rearing would not be allowed for three months in the backyard farms due to the outbreak, the State government has assessed that alternative schemes such as providing the affected families with goats, pigs and sheep for rearing would require Rs.75 crore.

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