Click to play videoKolkata: The bird flu has led to the slaughter of 430,000 birds in West Bengal on Wednesday spread to Cooch Behar and Hooghly districts.
The bird flu has been detected in nine of West Bengal’s 19 districts and the state government has sanctioned Rs 8.5 crore to stop the disease from spreading. Chicken price in Kolkata has fallen from Rs 90 per kg two weeks ago to Rs 35 now. Many shop owners are giving their customers free vegetables if they purchase chicken.
Several restaurants in the city though have removed chicken from their menu. "We have stopped preparing any chicken dishes as our customers are not interested. We may loose business if customers find out we cook chicken," said restaurant owner Sukanto Bagchi.
West Bengal will have to lose its infected birds if it has to stop further spreading of this dreaded virus. Culling operations are on with about 640 teams dedicated for this purpose. Around 21 lakh birds are yet to be culled and the government says it can handle the task.
“It is spreading alarmingly no doubt but I am asking people not to panic. Everyone should come forward to help the government,” said Anisur Rehman, Minister in charge of animal resources.
The state government has sought the of neighbouring states and has requested for 1,000 medics to assist efforts to contain the bird flu.
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