A boy plays with a duck in bird flu-hit Margram. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Jan. 21: The flu fighters took a big leap today with 300 rapid response teams culling around 1.5 lakh chickens, almost four times Sunday’s figure of 40,000, in six districts.

“Our teams have culled 1.5 lakh chickens today. The sooner they are culled, the better. We shall cull two lakh birds tomorrow and more than 20 lakh within the next seven days,” health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra said this afternoon.

One of the reasons for the jump was the softening of people’s resistance, Mishra said. “People are co-operating. They have realised culling has to be done on a war footing.”

Health department sources said junior Union health minister Panabaka Lakshmi’s criticism also prompted the state to step up the culling drive in Birbhum, Murshidabad, South Dinajpur, Burdwan, Nadia and Bankura, where the outbreak has been confirmed.

Visiting some of the affected areas, the minister had said the compensation — Rs 40 for ducks and country chickens and Rs 30 for broilers — was not being given in a “proper manner”, hampering the culling process.

State health minister Mishra did not react to the criticism but insisted that the “compensation was being given on the spot to motivate others”.

He ruled out a hike in the amount, saying the government was following the norm.

“We handed over 25 chickens when the team visited our house this morning. We heard the announcement on loudspeakers that it was not safe to keep the chickens in the backyard,” said Sahid Sheikh, 26, from Rampurhat.

As the likes of Sheikh stepped forward, the task before officials suddenly appeared easier. “We are happy that villagers are handing over their chickens. As soon as we got the birds from Sheikh, we killed them and gave him compensation,” said Ajit Banerjee, a culling team member.

“More teams were deployed today to speed up culling. We shall increase the numbers further tomorrow,” said Manik Das, the animal resource department deputy director overseeing Murshidabad.

Uttam Bagdi, 22 had protested when the team visited his Harimati village in Murshidabad’s Burwan two days ago. Today, he handed over a dozen chickens. “Elders told me it wasn’t safe to keep chickens after 10 of them died.”

Mishra allayed fears about eating chickens in areas unaffected by the outbreak. “I had chicken yesterday and will have it tonight. There is no harm in eating chickens and eggs if they properly cooked,” the health minister said.

In pockets of Rampurhat in Birbhum, the flu fighters found themselves entangled in other thorny issues. In Barakartik Chungri village, residents blocked their way demanding electricity.

“We’ll not allow any culling. We want an assurance about our long-standing demand for power,” said Sajad Sheikh, who has a dozen chickens.

In Babladanga, the villagers hid their 1,000 chickens, demanding a bridge across the Bhangal canal.

Animal resource secretary Dilip Chakraborty said cull- ing teams and veterinary doctors were being called in from Assam, Rajasthan and Orissa.

In Krishnagar, animal resource minister Anisur Rahman asked the media not to show images of culling. “It can leave a bad impact on children,” he said.

Poultry deaths

About 16,000 chickens have died in poultry farms at Haipur village in Contai, East Midnapore. Subdivisional officer Namita Roy Mallick said samples of the dead birds had been sent for tests.