Malda, March 26: Around 40 pet pigeons have died in Ward 10 of the Englishbazar Municipality in the past 48 hours, days after health workers completed the mopping up operation to contain the spread of bird flu in the district.

Motahar Hossain, a tailor, said more than 100 pigeons lived on his rooftop. “Suddenly, the pigeons started dying one after the other. I had no idea that there was a bird flu outbreak here,” he said.

The H5N1 virus was confirmed in the government farm in Malda on March 19. The poultry birds were culled the next day.

Congress councillor Shantanu Saha, who rushed to Hossain’s residence today, said the district administration had kept the municipality in the dark about culling and mopping operations.

“People are still keeping chickens, ducks, pigeons and other birds at home. The animal resource development department has done nothing to create awareness about bird flu,” Saha said.

The deputy director of the ARD in Malda, Nikhil Sit, said a team had been sent to the area to collect samples. “Since the site is located within 3km of our farm, we will have to cull all the pigeons present there,” he said.

District magistrate Chittaranjan Das said a meeting would take place late tonight to decide if the mopping up operation would be resumed.