Kalyani, Feb. 13: Chicken traders here who opened their shops today rejoicing the end of the ban were told to pack up in no time.

The ban will continue to be in force in the bird flu-hit areas for three months, said Santanu Jha, the chairman of Kalyani municipality.

Many like Samir Ghosh, however, tried to tell civic officials that they had heard the animal resource minister “say on TV that the ban had been withdrawn across the state”.