Dead hens found in pond of Verakhadi village in Anand

Anand, JunE 6 (UNI) About 1500 dead hens, said to be broiler chickens, were dumped into a pond early today in Verakhadi village on the Sarsa-Vasad road, 16 km from here.

The villagers complained to the Verakhadi panchayat about a foul smell that was pervading two to three km from the pond and the sarpanch submitted a written complaint to the Khambolaj police.

Interestingly, Verakhadi village has been declared a ''tourist site'' by the state government and Rs 71 lakh was also earmarked for the village early this year, which was announced by the district collector.

Speculation was rife that a poultry farm at Sarsa could be the culprit. When UNI contacted the poultry farm, an employee in the farm denied having any knowledge about the dead hens.

UNI