"Culling operations are nearly over and officials are now concentrating on getting rid of any loose chicken. A daunting task ahead of us is to clear huge quantity of bird droppings that has accumulated and hardened over the years," Gujarat secretary (Cow Breeding and Protection) D K Rao told PTI.
The state animal husbandary department has already culled more than 80,000 poultry chicken and destroyed thousands of eggs since the operations began following the fear of bird flu being spread to Surat district, which is adjoining Navapur in Maharashtra where avian flu was first confirmed in India.
"We are trying to figure out first how to make the droppings into semi solid state and then it may be sucked into a machine. However, this is a new task for us and we are in touch with animal husbandary authorities in Maharashtra over this issue also", Rao said.
Rao said that there was no need for panic among people of Uchchal region or anywhere across Guajrat following two samples of chicken from the region being tested positive for the flu.
Adequate measures were being taken by the government to prevent its outbreak to fowl or humans, he said.
The official said that health officials and vetenary teams were constantly surveying the areas and conducting door to door examinations.
State health commissioner Amarjeet Singh said some people who worked in the poultry sector and who had fallen ill a week ago are under observation at a hopistal in Vyara taluka of Surat but none of their samples have tested positive for the feared flu and they would be allowed to go home soon.
