Kathmandu, Oct 10. (PTI): The Nepal government has decided to halt illegal import of chickens during the Hindu festivals of Dussehra and Diwali to avoid any possibility of spreading bird flu.

The government has urged people not to import chickens illegally for the festival season because they could be the source of bird flu which can be transmitted to humans, an official at the Livestock Health Directorate said.

No case of bird flu had so far been reported in the country, authorities said.

The government is also carrying out strict quarantine checking of chickens at major border points, they said.

The government had been keeping a strict vigil on import of chickens taking into account the number of birds being imported for Dussehra and Diwali, Dhana Raj Ratala, an official at the Livestock Health Directorate, told reporteres.

"We must keep high alert at this moment because of the reported cases of bird flu in East Asian countries," he said. "Nepal is self-reliant on poultry and poultry products."

"Due to the epidemic, Nepal had allowed import of chickens only from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Britain last year. Nepal annually imports about 300,000 chickens as parental stock," he added.