Three days after 37,000 pure-bred birds were culled at the Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO) of the countrys eastern region in Odisha,its northern counterpart is on high alert. The parent stock of poultry birds developed after 15-20 years of research at two prominent research centres of Odisha,CPDO and Orissa University of Agriculture Technology,were eliminated this week in a massive culling operation following detection of bird flu virus in villages of Khurda district. The northern CPDO located in Chandigarh,which has developed pure line stock of 39,000 birds over 40 years of research has pressed the panic button and sought help from Haryana,Punjab and Chandigarh Administration to keep the virus at bay. Catering to eight states and the union territory of Chandigarh in supply of parent stock - it was the first to introduce broilers and is the biggest breeder for quails and is also breeding exotic species such as emus,guinea fowls and turkeys - has started a biosafety drive right from its doorstep. It has restricted entry of vehicles into the farm,created an alternative route for trucks carrying bird feed and uses a sanitising spray on tyres of vehicles parked near its premises. However,poor sanitisation at Haryanas poultry hub at Barwala and the truck terminal outside its farm in Chandigarh remain its major concerns. According to international protocol which is binding on all countries,entire birds in three kilometres radius have to be culled in case of detection of even a single case of avian flu virus. In the case of Haryanas poultry hub Barwala,the sanitisation is very poor. Even by conservative estimate,the monetary loss can be nearly Rs 30 crore a month if even one case of bird flu is detected in that region as it can affect lakhs of birds in over 173 farms. I have been requesting poultry farms there to invest at least one per cent of their income on improving sanitary conditions, says CPDO Chandigarh director Dr Ravvi Kumarr. Citing the case of Odisha,where one of the causes of virus infection were trucks passing from outside the CPDO farm from Khurda district to Andhra Pradesh,he said the municipal corporation of Chandigarh is using the open area outside their farm in Chandigarh as a terminal for trucks coming from other states. A few cranes too are parked here dangerously close to the high-tension wires overhead. The virus can be carried by humans too,apart from wheels of trucks. Hair,wrist watches,shoes,clothes or tarpaulin on trucks - all of these can be carriers of the virus. While the international protocol says that such vehicles should be parked at a distance of at least 500 metres from the poultry farms,in case of Chandigarh it is right at our doorstep. These trucks can easily be parked at the truck terminal barely a kilometre away from here. A single detection of the virus at the farm if verified positive by the Bhopal-based lab will mean loss of precious genetically selected germ plasm developed over 25 generations of birds, adds Kumarr. The organisation has written several letters to Punjab animal husbandry department,Haryana and Chandigarh administration but due to lack of coordination between animal husbandry and health departments,bird flu comes under the latter,no action has been taken as yet. At Barwala,the high court has finally intervened after villagers knocked its doors following fly menace,contamination of groundwater and unbearable odour. Chandigarhs Secretary (Health) Anil Kumar,when contacted,said he would pass on the instructions to the animal husbandry department to look into the matter. We will take a call on it after the animal husbandry department submits its report, he said.
