Krushnaprasad: Fear gripped the residents of around 8-10 villages under this block in Puri district after many birds were found dead in the area.
Locals, who suspected the bird or avian flu behind the deaths, demanded a probe.
After getting complaints from the locals, some officials reached the area and collected the carcasses for lab examination.
A rapid response team was also formed for avian flu surveillance. The team also collected blood samples of live birds from the locality for examination.
The bird deaths, mostly crow, were reported from all major towns of the district including Malud, Budibar, Diakuda, Maleswari, Sial, Patharganj, Charichak, Chilika Nuapada etc. Residents said that chicken in many poultry farms were also found dead.
“We will know whether the birds had avian influenza virus or not only after the test report. It is too early to arrive at any conclusion now,” a senior official said. The officials also spread awareness and asked the people not to panic.
A cleanliness drive has also been launched in the area so that the peripheral environment is kept clean. Even as most of the dead birds were crows, shops selling chickens were also asked to report deaths to the civic authorities.
Locals demanded that the officials should take immediate steps before the virus spread towards Chilika and put the migratory birds at risk.
PNN