No bird flu in Punjab, drop in prices due to panic only

Chandigarh, Feb 24 (UNI) Ruling out a single case of suspected bird flu in Punjab so far, the state government said the steep fall in the prices of chicken and eggs in the state was due to panic following the confirmation of outbreak of the disease in one district of Maharashtra.

Speaking on a call attention motion on the spread of bird flu and its impact in the state, Punjab Animal Husbandry Minister Jagmohan Singh Kang informed the House that the state government was concerned over the steep fall in the prices of chicken and eggs and had taken up the matter with the neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi to continue the entry of poultry produce from Punjab.

Mr Kang said the Centre had also been urged to help those states where the poultry business was drastically affected due to the fear of bird flu.

He said the state government had already taken stringent preventive measures against the outbreak of the disease in the state.

As many as 91 'Rapid Response Teams' of veterinary officers, poultry inspectors and pharmacists were already operating at district and sub-division levels, Mr Kang added.

Besides, a state level core group, headed by Secretary of Health Services, has been formed for better coordination between different departments like Animal Husbandry, Forest and Wild Life and Medical Education and Research, he said.

Earlier calling the attention of the House on the issue, Capt Kanwaljit Singh of the Shiromani Akali Dal said people involved in this business were finding it difficult to pay the installments of the loans due to the steep fall in the poultry prices.

He demanded the state government to financially help the small and marginalised poultry owners as they were worst hit.

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