Over 2,500 chicken from WB reach UP

LUCKNOW: After West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh could be next on the bid flu infected list. Over 2,500 chicken have been transported in the state from West Bengal, ringing alarm bells within the administrative machinery.
Late on Monday night, home secretary Mahesh Kumar Gupta shot a letter to district magistrates and district police chiefs, stating that over 2,500 chicken were booked from Vardhman (WB) by Vibhuti Express and were unloaded on January 26 at Varanasi.The entire consignment in turn was sent to Shahjahanpur by the person who had received the chicken in Varanasi, the letter said.
In view of West Bengal and other adjoining states being in grip of bird flu, the home secretary directed the DMs and the police chiefs to maintain utmost vigil to ensure that no poultry product, including chicken and eggs, was allowed to enter the state either by road or rail route.
A copy of this letter has also been sent to general manager of north-eastern railway, divisional railway managers of northern railway, NER and north-central railway with a request to ensure that no poultry product was booked from WB and adjoining states for unloading in UP, citing restrictive orders issued by the state government to avoid spread of the disease in the state.
In a separate letter to the district magistrates of Varanasi and Shahjahanpur, the home secretary has directed them to locate the person who had received the chicken in Shahjahanpur within 24 hours. Once the person is located, doctors from the animal husbandry department will be immediately asked to check whether the poultry stock was infected by bird flu or not and if the report is positive, the chicken will be immediately culled, the letter further states.
A copy of the letter has also been marked to director-general of police, DG, railways, zonal IGs, divisional commissioners and range DIGs for necessary action.