BHUBANESWAR: Culling operations were affected in slums here after residents refused to part with their poultry birds on Monday, while the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) silently suffered the loss of its entire stock of fowls used for research."We are not able to cull birds in certain slums and residential localities as the people did not cooperate with us," said an officer engaged in culling in p
arts of the state capital to prevent spread of bird flu.
During day two of culling operations at the Central Poultry Development Organisation (where bird flu virus was detected on Friday) near the Kalinga Stadium and surrounding areas within three km of it, people, especially in slums, preferred to hide domesticated fowls. Consequently, as against an estimated over 8000 domesticated poultry birds in the "alert zone", government staff could eliminate only 299, official sources said.
"We are finding it difficult to convince the local people as they are not happy with the compensation being fixed for culling. Moreover, some are fond of their birds and do not want those to be killed," an officer pointed out. The government compensates bird owners at the following rates: Rs 70 for each layer bird (big size) and Rs 30 for each layer bird (small); Rs 60 for each broiler bird (big) and Rs 30 for each broiler bird (small); Rs 75 for each duck (big) and Rs 35 for duck (small); Rs two each for an egg and Rs six for each kg for bird feed.
Culling activities, however, proceeded smoothly at CPDO where the remaining 9004 birds were decapitated and buried on Monday. A total of 20,000 fowls were killed at CPDO, a central government agency, on Sunday. Around one lakh eggs and large quantities of poultry feed would be damaged in the next couple of days, official sources said.
OUAT, the state's premier agriculture varsity, also lost all its 7524 birds which were stocked at its farm for research purposes. "We are deeply saddened by the loss. Our birds were helping us in research on coloured broilers. We had two genetic lines; we might get one line from outside the state but the other line could be lost permanently," said N C Beheru, an officer associated with the research project. "We have informed our superiors in Hyderabad. They would take a call on how to proceed with out research." OUAT is one of the four places in the country where Indian Council of Agriculture Research is funding projects on coloured broilers. Going by protocol, the OUAT farm will remain shut for at least three months.
