Chicken truckloads from Mah stopped at Guj border, alert in Surat

Ahmedabad, Mar 16 (UNI) Even as Gujarat has banned entry of chicken and eggs from Maharashtra, Gujarat Broiler Farmers Association claimed to have come across at least four attempts to smuggle truckloads of chicken into the State through different road routes during the last week.

Association spokesman Ketan Patel told UNI today that three mini trucks coming from Malegaon near Nashik (Maharashtra) were intercepted at Vansda (Gujarat) on March 13 and a fourth truck coming from Peepalner (Maharashtra) earlier on March 10 at Vyara (Gujarat).

The association has lodged complaints with the respective police stations and trucks were escorted back to Maharashtra border and acknowleged the co-operation of district veterinary officer and local taluka panchayat leaders.

However, Mr Patel feared that since the prices of chicken and eggshas fallen sharply in Maharashtra, traders would try to smuggle in chickene lots illegally into Gujarat through new avenues, unless the trucks were seized and birds killed.

Greater Surat City with a population of over 30 lakhs used to be one of the biggest market of chicken and eggs from the neighbouring Maharahstra district of Nandurbar.

With the detection of fresh cases of birdflu in Jalgaon, about a month after that detected in the poultry farms of Navapura in Nandurbar district, Mr Patel has urged the authorities to be more vigilant to protect the people from this onslaught.

In a latest development, Mr Patel alleged that certain traders were threatening the association officer-bearers to let in the birds from Maharashtra. This might lead to unwarranted skirmishes between conflicting interests, he said.

Meanwhile, the outbreak of bird flu in Jalgaon have prompted Surat Municipal Corporation to issue a notification alerting the poultry and meat sellers to take care that no poultry products from Maharashtra should be sold in Surat.

In a statement issued by SMC Deputy Commissioner Dr I C Patel, all chicken and poultry sellers in Surat municipal area have been warned that no products like chicken meat, eggs or chicken feed that are imported from Maharashtra should be sold in SMC area.

The notification says that any violation of the order will invite strong legal action.

The notification also says that the outbreak of birdflu in Jalgaon in Maharashtra has prompted the SMC to take such precautionary action.

Meanwhile the Surat district authorities said the situation in the border areas is ''safe'' and no threat from the reported birdflu in Jalgaoan is expected.

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