Mopping up drive begins in Malda

Statesman News Service

MALDA, March 25: The Malda district administration started the mopping up drive in English Bazaar area today after culling 22,318 birds out of the target figure of 23,500 to control fresh Bird Flu detected at the state-run poultry farm recently. Mr NK Shit, deputy director, (ARD) in Malda, said that the team would go door to door looking for birds and would cull them properly in the next two days of the mopping drive. “If we find stray birds in the affected zone even after the mopping drive another special drive would be undertaken to clear the area,” said Mr NK Shit.Mr Shit disclosed that the ARD was facing a problem in securing imported poultry from the local businessmen in Malda town who secretly kept the birds during the culling operation but the team would cull the birds as soon as it detects the hideouts. “It was very difficult to estimate the number of birds for ‘sale’ than domestic birds (backyard chickens) owing to the lack of registration system among the businessmen and private poultry farms. We have sent a proposal to the government to introduce a mandatory registration system for this business”, Mr Shit said. The district chief medical officer of health Mr RR Banik said that health workers have started a door to door visit in the affected zone to find out if people are suffering from fever, cough, cold or respiratory problems. Members of the ‘rapid response team’ (RRT) who were directly engaged with culling will be quarantined for 10 days at the end of the mopping drive on Wednesday. The administration has selected two places Binoy Sarkar Atithi Awas and dormitory of Malda district sports Association. The officials of ARD for RRT will be quarantined for 10 days at Binoy Sarkar Atithi Awas and labourers engaged in culling operation will be kept under surveillance at Malda district sports Association.