Bird deaths plague state-run Malda farm

MALDA, March 18: Though the animal resource development officials in Malda suspect Bird Flu as the cause of recent bird deaths at the state poultry farm, they cannot claim so for lack of confirmation. Although blood samples of dead fowls have been sent for laboratory tests to Bhopal, the results are yet to arrive.Having failed to check the chicken deaths, which spread like an epidemic at the state-run farm, the ARD officials have culled hundreds of ailing birds at the farm to stem the spread of what is still an unknown disease. But poultry deaths continue unabated here since Wednesday. The state animal res-ou-rce development m-inister Mr Anisur Rahaman today informed the office bearer of the Malda zilla parishad Mr Soumitra Roy that the director of ARD has been asked to learn of the laboratory test report from the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory at Bhopal at the earliest so that necessary steps could be taken to check the bird deaths. A total of 221 chickens have died since last night, administrative officials said today. Mr NK Shit, the deputy director, ARD, in Malda informed the Malda zilla parishad today that 772 birds have died since Wednesday. But unofficial sources at the zilla parishad claimed that at least 2000 birds have died in the current phase.The ARD officials are not disclosing the exact number of birds present in the farm. n sns