About 21,000 birds to be culled in Alappuzha today
Eight teams formed to cull birds at Edathua and Cheruthana; Collector bans movement, sale and use of meat, egg and waste of poultry till April 25; control room opened in district
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan raising the hand of Left Democratic Front candidate in the Ponnani Lok Sabha constituency K.S. Hamza during an election rally at Tanur on Thursday; Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party candidates K. Sudhakaran and Rajmohan Unnithan greeting party workers in Kannur; and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during a campaign rally of the National Democratic Alliance candidate in Mavelikara Baiju Kalasala at Kottarakara. SAKEER HUSSAIN, S.K. MOHAN AND SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Rapid Response Teams (RRT) of the Animal Husbandry department (AHD) will carry out bird culling operations in the avian u-hit regions of Kuttanad in Alappuzha on Friday.
Ocials said that around 21,000 ducks would be culled at Edathua and Cheruthana, the bird
u hotspots. Besides, all domesticated birds within 1-km radius of the hotspots will be culled.
“The Centre has notied the outbreak of the disease. We have constituted eight RRTs to cull birds.
Four teams each will be deployed to Edathua and Cheruthana. The process will be completed on Friday itself,” said Sajeev Kumar K.R., District Animal Husbandry Ocer.
Virus in ducks
The presence of the H5N1 subtype of the In uenza A virus has been reported in ducks in Edathua grama panchayat (Ward 1) and in Cheruthana panchayat (Ward 3).
Ducks started to show symptoms of the disease a week ago. Abraham Ouseph at Edathua, who was raising 7,500 ducks, lost some 3,000 birds in the past week. Raghunathan
Chirayil and Devarajan T., who were raising 2,000 and 15,000 ducks respectively at Cheruthana, also lost birds during the period.
District Collector Alex Varghese on Thursday announced a ban on the movement, sale and use of meat, egg and waste (manure) of duck, chicken, quail, and other domestic birds till April 25 in Kainakary, Nedumudi, Champakulam, Ambalappuzha South, Thakazhi, Cheruthana, Veeyapuram, Thalavadi, Muttar, Ramankary, Veliyanad, Kavalam, Ambalappuzha North, Neelamperoor, Punnapra South, Purakkad, Pulinkunnu,
Thrikkunnapuzha, Kumarapuram, Chingoli, Cheppad, Chennithala, Karuvatta, Mannar, Karthikappally, Pallippad and Edathua grama panchayats and Haripad municipality in Alappuzha; Vazhappally grama panchayat and Changanassery municipality in Kottayam; and Kadapra, Nedumpuram, Peringara and Niranam grama panchayats in Pathanamthitta.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued, the AHD said there was no need to panic. It, however, urged the people to maintain caution. The AHD has opened a control room. Contact number- 0477-2252636.