Kolkata: After reaching the official culling target in all bird flu-hit districts, West Bengal's Animal Resources Development (ARD) department is now trying to ensure that poultry hidden by villagers are flushed out and slaughtered, if necessary with police assistance.
"Our culling teams are still working in the districts and if needed we will take the help of local police and the district administration," West Bengal ARD Minister Anisur Rahman said yesterday.
He, however, said it was not essential for the police to get involved in the culling and mopping up process. "Police help will be taken to flush out the affected chickens but the state ARD teams will finally do the job of culling," Rahman said.
By Sunday, West Bengal reached its culling target of 3.2 million poultry birds but the process had to be extended after reports of a fresh outbreak in some existing bird flu affected areas like South 24-Parganas' Canning Block-II, 60km from Kolkata.
The agriculture ministry in New Delhi had confirmed on Saturday that bird samples collected from Canning block-II had tested positive for bird flu.
The tests were conducted at the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal.
The deadly H5N1 virus has hit parts of 13 out of 19 districts in West Bengal. About 1.8 million people stay in the affected areas.
Bird flu was announced in West Bengal on January 15. The affected districts are South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan, Bankura, Malda, Cooch Behar, Purulia and West Midnapore.
Meanwhile, Bihar has ordered a fresh cull of chickens in Purnia, Kishanganj and Katihar districts bordering West Bengal following a directive from the central government to check the spread of avian influenza, officials said yesterday.
