Prompt action taken to curb bird flu: Guj Govt tells HC

The Gujarat Government today informed the High Court that it has taken prompt action to tackle bird flu reported at Memnagar locality in the city.
In it's affidavit filed before the High Court today regarding the action plan to stop bird flu from spreading in humans, the state government stated that various teams are still engaged in sanitising the area.
State government along with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) filed a joint reply before the division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi, which had earlier issued notices to the authorities while hearing a set of two PILs related to bird flu scare in Memnagar area.

The High Court has asked the petitioners to file their replies by January 23, when further hearing would take place.
These PILs were filed by 92-year-old Memnagar resident Bhagwatiben Brahmbhatt and by senior advocate Kiran Shah, who alleged laxity on part of administration.
While hearing these PILs, the High Court directed the state government and AMC to file a reply by today about the preparedness of civic authorities to tackle the outbreak.

In it's affidavit, the state government and AMC assured the court that authorities swung into action as soon as blood sample reports of some of the birds, kept at the rescue centre, came positive for bird flu on January 12.

The affidavit stated that teams of veterinary
experts, including from central government, took swift action and sanitised the entire centre to make sure that bird flu does not spread further. The state government also informed the court that the virus has not affected any human.
Raising strong objection to the government's claims, advocate H J Dholakia, appearing for Brahmbhatt, told the HC that authorities have not followed any guidelines and tried to hide their failure by culling birds during night.
He informed the court that a detailed reply to counter government's claim will be filed before the court on January 23.

Brahmbhatt's PIL has sought report on how 1,400 birds were brought on premises of the rescue centre in the locality without proper licensing and later culled and buried in the same place, having several schools.
The PIL alleged that as many as 200 out of 1,400 birds reportedly died from bird flu, as ascertained by FSL report.
In his PIL, Shah alleged that notification issued by the police commissioner preventing traffic and public movement in affected area was not sufficiently publicised.
The PIL sought identification of persons responsible for bringing affected birds in the locality and action against them by way of penalty for causing hardship to local residents.