An avian flu scare gripped Siliguri and its adjoining areas after some poultry birds were reported dead at the farm owned by Raj Aziz.
The deaths came to light yesterday after residents complained to the police station at Matigara, 7 km here, about the stench from the farm, prompting block development officer Susanta Mondal to investigate. Mondal found the carcasses of around 2,500 poultry birds in the deserted farm, which had only a chowkidar.
Alarmed at the large-scale death of birds, the health department rushed a team of experts to assess the situation.
The dead birds were immediately buried on the orders of the district magistrate.
The farm on the outskirts of the town had a little more than 11,000 poultry birds.
The Animal Husbandary Department of The Government of Sikkim has banned all imports of chicken,eggs,chiken products in Sikkim from outside with immediate effects till further notice on account of bird flu scare in Siliguri. Sikkim have most of its demands for chicken and eggs catered to from suppliers outside sikkim.
The Notification, dated 8 May 2007 and signed by the Principle Secretary of the Department, TW Barfungpa, has been pasted at all check-posts and entry points throughout the State.
Till yesterday, chicken was available in many small shops across the State. In Gangtok, most of the meat shops had already exhausted its stock of poultry by yesterday afternoon. Even eggs were difficult to get, with eggs were flying off the shelves even as the news of the bird flu scare was just trickling in. Meat sellers were desperately trying to get rid of the remaining stock of poultry and eggs.
Since most of the live poultry birds and eggs are supplied to the State from Siliguri, the bird flu scare has prompted the State Government to take this step.
KC Bhutia, Joint Director AH/LF & VS Department said that in the wake of increasing number of poultry birds dying of Avian flu in the neighbouring Bangladesh, this step has been necessitated. “Most of the poultry birds come to West Bengal from Bangladesh borders and the recent reports of chicken deaths in Siliguri, the Government of India has sent notifications to all the Border States of the country to stop bringing chicken and eggs from Bangladesh,” he said. “Following the Central Government directives, we have also issued a notification banning all entry of poultry birds and eggs from Siliguri with immediate effect,” he said, adding that this was only a “precautionary measure for week or maximum 10 days”. Mr. Bhutia added that poultry farms in the State need not worry as there were no such threats here.
The temporary ban has affected the poultry business in the State. Small meat sellers are the most hit. “My entire stock of chicken has finished and there is no supply from Siliguri. My main business being chicken, I am facing hugn losses. I hope the ban will be lifted up soon,” lamented Pappu, a local meat sellers here in the Capital.
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