Centre forms panel to probe into source

Animal husbandry commissioner S K Bandyopadhyay and Indian Council of Medical Research Director General Dr N K Ganguly would head the committee. 8216;8216;The committee will identify source of infection of the current bird flu. It will also prepare the scientific strategy for getting bird flu free status,8217;8217; Animal husbandry secretary P M A Hakeem said.

Around 2.5 lakh birds have been culled in Maharashtra and Gujarat so far. Culling will continue for five more days. Backyard poultry farms have been directed not to set there birds out in the open for scavenging. Ten earth moving machines have been deployed in Navapur where the outbreak of avian influenza was reported on Saturday.