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Teams being sent to States bordering West Bengal

— PHOTO: AFP

Containing OUTBREAK: Health workers culling chicken at Nalhati, north of Kolkata, on Tuesday. Health officials have killed around 100,000 birds in West Bengal.

KOLKATA: Steps are being taken to ensure that the avian flu, that has so far affected seven districts in West Bengal, does not spread to neighbouring States.

Teams comprising officials from the Union Animal Husbandry department in the Ministry of Agriculture and the Health Ministry are being sent to these States for surveillance in vulnerable areas owing to their proximity to West Bengal’s borders, Pradip Kumar, Secretary, Animal Husbandry department, said here on Tuesday.

The authorities had set themselves a target of culling 21 lakh poultry birds within a week.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was apprised of the situation over telephone by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Monday. The latter was also in constant touch with Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

Mr. Bhattacharjee said the disease was being contained. Additional culling teams were being sent to districts where it was not under control. He reviewed the progress in culling operations and the health measures taken, at a meeting with Health Minister Surya Kanta Mishra and Minster for Animal Resources Development Anisur Rahaman.

Mr. Kumar said it was a matter of concern that the disease “that had initially been reported in two districts of the State had spread to several areas.”

The districts affected are Murshidabad, Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Nadia, Burdwan, Bankura and Malda, the last mentioned being the most recent addition to the list.

Teams of veterinarians from other States would supplement the efforts of the West Bengal government to step up culling operations.

“Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Assam and Orissa have indicated their willingness to deploy veterinarians and technicians in West Bengal,” Mr Kumar said.

“It is our estimate that [the target could be achieved] if we have 600-odd teams to implement the action plan, that includes the culling of 500 birds by each team daily,” he said. “This will mean that 3 lakh birds will be culled each day.”

Mr. Kumar said samples of dead birds collected from Jharkhand tested negative at the High Security Animal Diseases Laboratory, Bhopal.

Mr. Rahaman said nearly three lakh chickens were culled in the affected districts till Monday evening and the figure should increase to four lakh by the end of the day. Culling operations started on January 16. More than one lakh poultry birds, mostly reared in backyard farms, had died of avian flu over the past week.

The Left Front Committee had requested the State government to ensure that there was no delay in providing compensation. Biman Bose, chairman of the committee, sought the cooperation of all political parties in tackling the situation.

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