" Bengal not hit by bird flu"

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb. 26. — Inaugurating the foundation stone laying programme of an animal polyclinic today, Mr Anisur Rahaman, minister for animal resources development, announced that not a single bird-flu case was reported in the entire West Bengal region. The animal resources minister further encouraged the people to consume well-cooked chicken and eggs without any fear. The minister said blood samples of migratory birds from the Bengal region sent for virus detection test in Bhopal tested negative. Mr Anisur Rahaman said: “We will receive another report of the 109 blood samples that we had sent to Bhopal. We have been informed that even the second lot of the blood sample tested negative.” Moreover, from our regional laboratory located at Belgachia, we have sent another 200 blood samples to Bhopal recently. In total, over 200 hundred samples were sent to Bhopal collected from Manipur and Tripura through our regional laboratory located at Belgachia. A total of over 2,300 samples have been sent to Bhopal till date, Mr Anisur Rahaman informed. “There were reports of chickens dying in Burdwan, but it was found that the deaths were due to diarrhoea rather than bird flu,” Mr Rahaman said. The minister said that his department had earmarked Rs 5 crore for setting up a institute for livestock development at Haringhata, which will train state officials engaged in the trade, how to look after livestock scientifically. Mr Anisur Rahaman also pointed out that due to rivalry between political parties, many development projects got stalled halfway. But, now the situation has improved any the leaders of both the Left and the Congress are jointly introducing various developmental projects in the state. #