AGARTALA, Jan 28 � Culling operations have begun in avian flu affected gram panchayats of West Tripura district on Friday after confirmation from Bhopal based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL).
The State Government has already ordered culling of birds in three km radius of Lembucherra poultry farm as advised by the Centre.
Twelve teams of Rapid Response Squad of Animal Resource Development Department (ARDD) have been pressed into the culling operation in the affected gram panchayats, said Manoranjan Sarkar, Director of ARDD here.
He said though exact number of culled chicks and ducks could not be ascertained yet, the people engaged in the operation were asked to visit each house so that no chick or duck is left out of the operation.
All necessary precautionary measures have been made to prevent fresh outbreak of bird flu in the State, Sarkar said adding that movement of poultry products had been banned in the affected areas.
The recurrence of bird flu was confirmed at Lembucherra ICAR poultry farm, 16 km from here following the Bhopal based HSADL confirmation about presence of deadly H5N1 virus.
The State witnessed outbreak of avian influenza way back in 2008. At least 55,000 chicks and ducks were culled at Mohanpur and its adjacent villages of West Tripura district triggering panic among the poultry businessmen.
