Veterinarians constantly surveying the situation in Delhi, says Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The Delhi government today banned the import of live birds into the city and set up a 24-hour help line in the wake of an avian bird flu outbreak in several states of the country. There have been no reports of the disease within Delhi itself, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today.
"We have collected up to 104 samples till now and thy have been sent to Jalandhar to be tested in a laboratory. There is no indication of bird flu in Delhi till now. We will get the laboratory reports by the day after tomorrow. We shall take steps based on those reports," Mr Kejriwal said today in a press conference.
The Centre on Friday said bird flu had been confirmed so far in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, and asked these six states to contain the disease as per the action plan. In Kerala, thousands of ducks and chicken have been culled following the outbreak.
Over the past 3-4 days, around 100 crows have died in a Mayur Vihar Park in Delhi. The Chief Minister said a rapid response team has been investigating the development.
On Saturday, Mr Kejriwal said that a surveillance team has been set up in every district of Delhi under the supervision of the District Magistrate. "Veterinary doctors are also constantly on the lookout...The focus is particularly on the poultry markets in Sanjay Lake, Bhalswa Lake, and Hauz Khas," the Chief Minister said.
The Ghazipur poultry market has been shut down for 10 days, he said.