Malda administration launches mopping drive

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb. 4: The Malda administration today launched a ‘special’ mopping up with the help of the police to catch backyard poultry in nine identified villages in Chanchal-I close to Bihar border in the northern part of the district. Though after culling operation mopping up was completed on 31 January but there are several backyard chickens are roaming there.The administration today finally forced to announce by loudspeakers in the affected zone in Chanchal “residents who rear backyard chickens within three months in the affected zone violating government's order will not be entitled to get compensation declared recently”. “Such an announcement may check the menace”, said Mr Debasish Sarkar, the Chanchal SDO. “Though gram panchayat chiefs were instructed to kill the birds, they failed to do so. Therefore, we have decided to send another reserved Rapid Response Team (RRT) of animal resources development to kill birds with the help of police today”, the Chanchal SDO said.“Villagers kept those chickens in hideouts possibly in Bihar and after the end of mopping up they brought them back”, said Mr. Debasish Sarkar. A ten member mobile police team has been asked to intensify vigilance at Nonator on the Bengal-Bihar border to stop entry of chickens from Bihar villages, Mr. Sarkar said.The district officials suspected that no culling operation was executed properly in the villages of Katihar district in Bihar, which is under the five kilometre radius from the epicenter Mahanandapur where Bird Flu was detected.

The Chanchal SDO has provided television sets in all quarantine centres for the labourers so that they do not feel bored and secretly leave the place to lead their normal life. It may be noted that a total of 320 labourers, who were directly engaged in culling operation in Bird Flu affected areas in northern part of this district, have been quarantined following the government's instruction for 10 days.Though they did not follow the guidelines for quarantine system during culling operation, they have been separated with the help of police at last when the state government asked the district authorities to follow the system so that deadly virus can not spread from one human to another. “Though the labourers had left the quarantine centres ignoring our instruction, after having their meal but at we have been able to keep them separated providing television sets”, said Mr Debasish Sarkar, the Chanchal SDO. “They are now watching entertainment programmes and news related to Bird Flu. All were present during roll calls yesterday. I personally present at various centres. Television sets has solved the problem “, Mr. Sarkar added.The district administration has decided to issue arrest warrants against labourers if they found absent during roll call.

Health Surveillance

The Malda chief medical officer Mr Radha Raman Banik said that 20 labourers who were directly engaged in culling operation in Chanchal were suffering from fever and other ailments.” We did not collect their blood samples for laboratory test because their condition is now improving. The symptoms are fever, cough and cold and headache but their condition is not worsening”, he said.During surveillance and door to door to health check up programmes within 3 km radius from Mahanandapur in Chanchal a total of 209 persons were detected suffering from fever and other symptoms.“But they are not suffering from acute respiratory problem”, he added. “We are strictly following guidelines prescribed by the health authorities and all staff including the labourers engaged in culling operation are being administered by the Temiflu tablets twice a day”, the CMO said.According to him , door to door to health check up will continue up to 10 February.