Movement of poultry banned from flu hit villages

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Dec. 15: Apprehending bird flu outbreak in the district, the Malda district magistrate Mr Sridhar Kumar Ghosh today ordered a ban on tranpsorting poultry from the affected villages under Norhatta gram panchayat in English Bazaar block. The panchayat pradhan Mr Bishon Chowdhury, however, said that he was yet to receive the ban order.

The disease has spread to neighbouring villages and to save their chickens, the villagers have allegedly started shifting the birds elsewhere. DM, Mr Sridhar today said that he had received instruction from higher authorities in Kolkata to alert the villages where backyard chickens died from suspected Bird Flu. “I have ordered a ban on transportation of eggs, chickens and other birds in and out of the affected villages,” he said.

The district animal resources development (ARD) officials including a senior officer (an assistant director) of the ARD department met the district magistrate this morning and informed about suspected Bird Flu out break at Norhatta GP areas. They also urged him to take preparatory measures for culling if reports tested positive. The ARD deputy director Mr N K Shit said: “As a preventive measure, the district magistrate has banned transportation of poultry and eggs in and out of the affected villages.”

The Malda ARD officials had sent three dead birds from the affected villages to the Kolkata regional laboratory and after testing positive for Avian Flu virus it had sent those birds to the HSADL in Bhopal yesterday for confirmation of H5N1 virus.

The CMOH, Malda, Dr Srikanta Roy said that health workers have been asked to conduct an awareness campaign among the villagers to deal with the dead birds. English Bazaar BDO today asked the Norhatta gram panchayat pradhan to conduct health awareness programme among the people.

The pranchayat pradhan today held a meeting with the members and adopted three important resolutions for announcement. The pradhan Mr Chowdhury said: “We will request people not to eat dead birds, not dump dead birds anywhere and bury the dead birds scientifically,”

According to Mr Chowdhury, about 3500 backyard chickens died in the past seven days. “Nearly 1,500 birds died at Budhia-Kolka village today. Yesterday, hundreds of birds died at Budhia village. Besides, the epicenter villages such Satgharia and Sabjipara, several fresh birds died at Anandipur and Nagrai villages”, he said.