Siliguri, March 27: Bird flu has been confirmed in Jalpaiguri’s Sonpukur and Saheber Kamath villages, both within 5km of the district headquarters.

Samples collected from the two villages were sent for tests to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal on March 11 and they tested positive for the H5N1 virus, district magistrate R. Ranjit said today. The report was faxed to him this morning.

The district magistrate convened a meeting at the circuit house in the afternoon, which was attended by sabhadhipati of Jalpaiguri Zilla Parishad Banamali Roy and chief medical officer of health Malay Ghosh, among others.

Ranjit said about 50,000 chickens within a 5km radius of the affected villages would be culled from tomorrow.

The area to be covered includes Wards 7-14 of Jalpaiguri Municipality along with Mandalghat, Paralbari, Kharia, a part of Kharija Berubari and seven mouzas of Barnish and Dharampur villages of Mainaguri.

“Fifty teams of five members each have been formed for the exercise,” Ranjit said. “We have asked for additional manpower from neighbouring districts of Darjeeling and Cooch Behar.”

The district magistrate added that Rs 40 lakh has been sanctioned to pay compensation to poultry farmers. The compensation rates have been fixed at Rs 40 (for each egg-yielding hen), Rs 30 (poultry bird) and Rs 10 (chick).