All set for ban on poultry products

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 22

The UT Administration is all set to impose a ban on the sale of poultry products in the city. The proposal was discussed today and the final orders are expected to be issued tomorrow.

Confirming the development, UT Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Shayin said as part of the precautionary measures, the UT Administration would ban the sale of poultry products in the city. The final orders were likely to be issued tomorrow. Though there was no need to panic, the UT was taking these steps as a precautionary measure, he said.

The Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO) has already stopped serving poultry products in its hotels — Mountview in Sector 10, Shivalik View in Sector 17 and Parkview in Sector 24.

A senior UT official said the UT would also stop the import of poultry products — chicken and eggs — from other states.

Chandigarh gets its supply of chicken and eggs from poultry farms at Barwala, Rajpura, Zirakpur, Kharar and Mullanpur. Nearly 40,000 eggs come to the city from Barwala and around 18,000 eggs from Rajpura, Zirakpur, Kharar and Mullanpur.

Besides, there are four private poultry farms in Chandigarh — two in Daria village and one each in Kishangarh and IT Park, Mani Majra.

The Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO), Industrial area, Phase I, supplies nearly 3,000 eggs and 500 chickens to the city.

According to the UT Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department, there are 131 cocks, 51,527 hens and 77,025 chickens in the city.

Last week, the UT Administration, with the assistance of experts from the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL), Jalandhar, had undertaken an operation to cull 110 domesticated geese after the Central Government notified the outbreak of avian influenza in captive ducks and geese at Sukhna Lake.

Villagers run poultry business from houses

Villagers of Kishangarh and Kaimbwala are rearing poultry birds at their residences. These villagers supply chicken and eggs to various shops across the city from their houses.

Team of experts from Bhopal to arrive today

A team of experts from the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases Laboratory, Bhopal, will come to the city tomorrow to collect blood samples of migratory birds and water samples from Sukhna Lake. The staff of the UT Animal Husbandry Department and the Forest and Wildlife Department will assist the experts in collecting the samples.

Proposal to close pvt schools within 3-km radius of lake

Officials of the UT Health Department today proposed to the UT Deputy Commissioner to issue orders to close all private schools falling within a 3-km radius of Sukhna Lake. There are private schools in Sectors 7, 9 and 26, which fall within the 3-km radius.