AVIAN FLU

Culling of chickens being done at bird-flu affected Nagar Bhangni village in Dinhata, Cooch Behar on Monday.

Culling drive began in Cooch Behar

 

COOCH BEHAR, Feb.2: The three-day culling drive began today at two avian flu affected villages in Mathabhanga and Dinhata sub-divisions in Cooch Behar district. The villages are Uttar Dangkoba and Nagar Bhangni. Considering the graveness of the situation the drive was conducted in those areas as an additional measure on yesterday evening too. Ten culling teams killed about 1,000 birds yesterday.

 

More than 3,000 backyard birds were culled upto 1-30 p.m. today according to the district magistrate of Cooch Behar Mr Rajesh Kumar Sinha. About 45,000 birds will be culled during the scheduled three-day drive, he said. Compensations are being disbursed on the spot, the DM said. The different rates of compensation are : local chicken Rs 50 and chick Rs 20, broiler chicken Rs 40 and chick Rs 20, duck Rs 75 and poultry meat Rs 6 per kilogram.

 

This is the first time compensations are being given against destroyed eggs. One may get Rs 2 against an egg, the DM said.

 

Alleging that they failed to get compensation for their culled birds on earlier occasion some villagers tried to resist the culling teams to do their duty at Uttar Dangkoba in Mathabhanga. Panchayat functionaries and police had to intervene to pacify the situation. The DM said he would probe into the allegations to learn why the villagers failed to get compensations. Disturbances also reported from Nagar Bhangni village in Dinhata.

 

On Saturday, the district magistrate of Cooch Behar Mr Rajesh Kumar Sinha had declared Cooch Behar a bird flu affected district following recent reports of unnatural death of numerous backyard birds in different areas in the district. The district administration alerted the BSF to beef up vigil along the Indo-Bangladesh border to stop illegal transportation of chickens and ducks. []