Dead broilers buried, stock withheld

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 26

Nearly 350 broilers that were found dead in the supply that arrived at Shimla Municipal Corporation-run slaughterhouse from Haryana yesterday, were buried today, while the remaining stock was withheld.

Sources in the Food and Supplies Department feared that the cause of death could be bird flu as never in the past had the number of dead broilers been so high even in extreme winters.

“The import and sale of broilers should be banned under the prevailing situation and other precautionary measures taken till the test report of samples sent to Jalandhar Lab of Animal Husbandry Department is received and the exact cause of death is established,” an official in the Food and Supplies Department said.

He said the sale of broilers in the municipal limits had been stopped, but an advisory should be issued by the district administration to stop the sale of broilers in other parts of Shimla and adjoining districts as well.

“The Municipal Corporation has taken 17 samples of different kinds of live and dead broilers and sent them to Animal Husbandry Department to get them tested in Jalandhar lab yesterday in view of bird flu cases in Chandigarh and the report is expected by Monday,” said Dr Arun Sarkaik, SMC, Veterinary Public Health Officer.

Check poultry items

Solan: Nalagarh SDM Lalit Jain today directed the officials of the Animal Husbandry Department to ensure checking of all poultry items entering the state to ensure that no diseased bird enter the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh subdivision which shares a boundary with Punjab and Haryana.

These directions were issued in view of the scare of bird flu which looms large in the neighbouring Chandigarh and detection of some diseased birds in Shimla area.

The SDM said he had also directed the officials to conduct regular tests of birds in various hatcheries so that diseased birds could be detected at an early stage as a precautionary measure.

Forest Department officials had also been directed to assist veterinary officials in this task and keep a watch on migratory birds so that any possibility of bird flu making its way into the area could be ruled out. Since the poultry items sold in the BBN area are transported from neighbouring states, local administration was taking all necessary steps to ensure detection of any such case at the inter-state barriers itself.