Bird flu: 90 geese culled, alert sounded in Punjab, Haryana

A sample of geese from Sukhna lake in chandigarh tested positive for bird flu

After a sample of geese from Sukhna lake here tested positive for bird flu, authorities culled 90-odd geese and cordoned off the lake, restricting public movement in the region and sounding an alert in Punjab and Haryana.

The geese were culled on the island in the middle of the lake this evening, Director of Chandigarh's Animal Husbandry Department Prince Dhawan said.

The killings were carried out as a precautionary measure to prevent any outbreak of the bird flu in the city and adjoining areas.

Proper sterilisation methods were followed in the culling process, Dhawan said, adding that the entire lake would remain out of bounds till further orders and the adjoining Lake Club has also been shut down for time being.

Meanwhile, state-run Central Poultry Development Organisation today said it has halted all the supplies of eggs and birds as a precautionary measure.

"We have stopped the sale of all birds and eggs because of bird flu scare," CPDO (Northern Region), Director, K Ravvi Kumarr said here.

The supplies remain suspended for 30 days, he said.

CPDO supplies hatching eggs to government-owned organisations of nine states including Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, besides selling chickens and eggs among public.

Earlier, Dhawan, who is also the Union Territory's nodal officer for avian flu control measures, and other officials of the department held a meeting with senior officials of Chandigarh administration where a decision to cull the birds was arrived at.

Nearly 35 geese had died at the lake recently under mysterious circumstances.

The Chandigarh administration sounded an alert after it was confirmed that one of the ducks had died of H5N1.