Khordha, Dec 28: Today the culling of chickens to curb the spread of Bird flu in Keranga village resumed after it had been halted as the villagers resisted it yesterday. Around 260 chickens have been killed till noon. The Fisheries & Animal Resources Development Minister Pradeep Maharathy informed that a compensation of Rs 90 from the state government and Rs 25 from Red Cross is being provided for culling of each fowl adding that the situation would be under control within 4-5 days.
Yesterday the villagers had opposed the culling operation thus demanding demolition of the poultry farm on the village outskirts stating that the virus started to spread after the farm came up. They also demanded compensation proportional to the cost of each chicken culled. Thus to make the situation under control, Khordha Collector Niranjan Sahu and other officials of the district administration conducted a meeting with the villagers last evening, thus promising them to offer better compensation from Red Cross following which they agreed to cooperate in the culling process.
This process of culling of birds and chickens in the village within a radius of 1kmhad begun when four dead crows and three dead poultry tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus also called as bird flu virus. 10 rapid response teams have been mobilised for the culling operation in the area and more than 1,200 chickens will be culled during the operation. Also a control room has been set up at the Directorate of Animal Husbandry to monitor the situation and to disseminate information.
