In view of the bird flu scare, import of live birds has been banned in Delhi and Ghazipur poultry market will remain closed for the next ten days. Besides, the Delhi Government has shut Sanjay Lake, Hastsal Park, two other recreational gardens in Delhi after 24 crows were found dead in Jasola park and 10 ducks at Sanjay Lake.
Noting that there is no confirmed case of avian influenza in Delhi so far, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said samples have been sent to Jalandhar laboratory. He also said a 24-hour helpline has been set up for assistance.
On Friday, the Centre said bird flu has been confirmed so far in six States — Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.
Meanwhile, at least 24 crows have been found dead at a district park in South Delhi’s Jasola in the past three days and 10 ducks have died at the famous Sanjay Lake, officials said on Saturday.
The DDA, which owns a large number of parks in the city, said authorities are monitoring the situation closely.
“The samples of ducks found dead have been taken by the veterinary department authorities to ascertain if the cause of death was bird flu or not,” a senior DDA official said.
On the death of crows, the DDA has informed the Delhi Government’s forest department, he said.
“We are monitoring the situation very closely as DDA owns a large number of public parks many of which have water bodies,” the official said. Asked what steps the DDA authorities might take in view of the situation, he said all parks are open as of now.
“However, at places like Hauz Khas, which has a big lake, where a lot of birds flock to, security personnel are cautioning them to avoid visiting given the bird flu scare,” the official said.
Other DDA parks include Coronation Park in Burari, Japanese Park in Rohini and various biodiversity parks.
At least 35 crows have died in the national capital in the last few days and the samples have been sent to labs for testing, the officials had said on Friday. An official of the animal husbandry unit had said around 50 birds, mostly crows, had died over the last three to four days in these three areas.
“We received information about the death of crows in Dwarka, Mayur Vihar Phase 3 and Hastsal village in west Delhi. However, it is yet to be ascertained if bird flu infection is the reason,” Dr Rakesh Singh from the department had said.
“In the last few days, there have been several cases of bird flu across various parts of the country, which is a cause of worry. Cases of bird flu have been registered in Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.
“No confirmed case of bird flu has been registered in Delhi until now. We have collected around 104 samples until now, which have been sent to Jalandhar for testing and examination in a laboratory,” the CM said at a press conference.
He said Delhi is taking several steps to control the spread of bird flu as a precautionary measure.
“Upon receiving the results day after tomorrow, the Delhi Government will take all decisions and measures based on the results. The import of live birds is being completely banned from today onwards. Second, the Ghazipur poultry market in Delhi will remain shut for the next 10 days,” Kejriwal added.
He said the Delhi Government is following all guidelines and directions issued by the Central Government with regards to bird flu. “Rapid response teams have been formed in every district to contain the spread and conduct proper surveillance, and they will function under the district magistrates. Our veterinary officers are conducting proper surveys in all bird markets, wildlife establishments and water bodies across Delhi.
“The special focus of the teams are poultry market Ghazipur, Shakti Sthal Lake, Bhalswa Lake, Sanjay Lake, Delhi Zoo, DDA Parks, situated at Hauz Khas village, Pashchim Vihar and Dwarka,” Kejriwal added.
The CM said the news of birds dying is also coming from across Delhi, and the rapid response teams of those districts are conducting adequate inspection of the situation.
“A 24×7 helpline - 23890318 - has also been launched,” he added.
Three recreational parks and famous Sanjay Lake in Delhi were closed by authorities on Saturday amid an avian flu scare in the city as several birds were found dead on their premises in the last couple of days, officials said.
Besides, the popular Hauz Khas Park in south Delhi, which is a huge water body and attracts a large number of crowd every day, has also been shut, they said.
At least 24 crows have been found dead at a district park in south Delhi’s Jasola in the past three days and 10 ducks have died at the famous Sanjay Lake, DDA officials said on Saturday.
The DDA, which owns a large number of parks in the city, said authorities are monitoring the situation closely, and parks are being disinfected. An advisory has been issued on the closure of these four recreational places, a senior official said.
The Delhi Development Authority owns about 800 parks, other big parks being the Coronation Park in Burari, Japanese Park in Rohini and various biodiversity parks.
An official of the animal husbandry unit had said on Friday that around 50 birds, mostly crows, had died over the last three to four days in these three areas. “We received information about the death of crows in Dwarka, Mayur Vihar Phase 3 and Hastsal village in west Delhi. However, it is yet to be ascertained if bird flu infection is the reason,” Dr Rakesh Singh from the department had said.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had instructed officials on Friday to maintain a strict vigil on birds at major bird sites, especially poultry markets, water bodies, zoos and other potential hotspots.