WHO team visited progress : Culling almost completed in Dinhata

 

COOCH BEHAR, Jan. 30: The culling drive that was undertaken to combat the spreading of bird flu disease almost completed in Dinhata-I and Dinhata-II blocks. 49,595 domestic birds were culled in the villages of these two blocks till last night. Today, only eight Rapid Response Teams were deployed to cull remaining chickens, ducks and pigeons. Mop-up drive started from today in the villages and it will continue for ten days. The members of the RRTs will not be able to get back to their residences for seven days. They will be kept under observation for the period.

 

In Mathabhanga-I block, 3,710 birds were culled till last night in the villages. Culling also started in Sannyasir-danga village today. It may be recalled here that local people of Sannyasir-danga village attacked the RRT men on Monday evening. A vehicle was also damaged. The frightened RRT men had to go back without doing their scheduled job. A number of meetings were held from that night to chalk out plans to restore normalcy in the troubled village. Additional police forces were also deployed for the security of the RRT men. But, the RRT men failed to do any culling in that village on yesterday too. After adequately convincing the villagers the situation restored to normalcy today.

 

Meanwhile, a five-member WHO team comprising of experts from New Delhi, Pune and Kolkata visited the progress of culling in this district. They also visited the arrangement in the isolation wards that were made in Dinhata and Mathabhanga sub-divisional hospitals to combat any case of infection in human beings. They expressed their satisfaction after visiting the facilities offered in the isolation wards claimed the ADM (D) Mr Pannalal Mahapatra.

 

On the otherhand, fifty surveillance teams comprising of two members in each team were formed with ICDS and health department personnel. These teams will visit the villages from where abnormal deaths of birds were reported. They were instructed to report any case of influenza or similar ailments immediately to the authorities.

 

It was learnt that the district administration already paid Rs 15,08,750 in Dinhata and Rs 1,19,910 in Mathabhanga as compensation to the villagers whose chickens and ducks were culled. []