Navapur suffers Rs 30 cr loss

Mumbai, Mar 6 (UNI) Estimating that poultry farmers in avian flu-hit Navapur town in northern Maharashtra has suffered a loss of Rs 30 crore, the state Government today recommended to the Centre payment of compensation of Rs 80 each for a laying bird and Rs one for an egg even as the poultry town bordering Gujarat continued to be under quarantine pending completion of its clean-up.

A 3-member Cabinet sub-committee, after its first meeting during which it heard a delegation of the poultry farmers from the area, recommended compensation at the rate of Rs 80 for each culled bird irrespective its type and size as against government's earlier decision to pay Rs 40, Rs 30 and Rs 10 for desi chicken, broiler and a chick, committee chief Patangrao Kadam, the Cooperation Minister, said to reporters. Animal Husbandry Minister Anees Ahmed and Transport Minsiter Sarup Singh Naik are the other two members of the committee.

Mr Kadam said 3,17,921 birds were killed and about 15 lakh eggs destroyed at Navapur after the outbreak of H5N1 was confirmed on February 18. Of more than Rs one crore was earmarked for Navapur to meet the crisis, but only Rs 15 lakh has been disbursed to the affected farmers so far, he added.

The Minister said government had to destroy 110 tonnes of chicken feed also and 5,000 tonnes of its ingredients. But he remained silent if this loss, too would be compensated by the State and Central governments in 50:50 ratio as decided earlier.

Meanwhile, the poultry town, officially brought under quarantine from February 21, will remain under surveillance for another ten days notwithstanding relaxation in the movement of trains and buses to and from the town last week, a Government spokesman today said, adding the quarantine order was being observed because the town was yet to be fully cleaned up.

Two patients are also observation in the isolation ward of Navapur hospital, state health director Dr P P Doke said. One worker engaged in the clean-up operation was admitted yesterday when he suffered from fever. However, no case of human infection by the deadly virus has been detected so far.

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