Mizoram, galand ban import of poultry, eggs from Manipur

FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

IMPHAL, April 25: The governments of galand and Mizoram have banned import of all poultry birds and eggs from Manipur. The ban is on chickens, ducks and eggs of Myanmar which are brought via Manipur. This is the preventive measure the governments have taken up following the outbreak of bird flu in Manipur.

However, the veteriry officials claim that with the culling of all poultry birds and destruction of eggs within one km radius of the ICAR office in Imphal, the situation is contained. Besides, combing in the 10 km radius pigeonholed as the surveillance zone began from Saturday. There has been no report of human infection.

Traders who have been doing a roaring business by exporting chickens, ducks and eggs to these two states have been left in the lurch. They have to wait till the official announcement on the situation.

There have been acid comments on the issues associated with the outbreak of bird flu in Manipur. Some chickens reportedly died in the ICAR complex in Imphal on April 6. Without the knowledge and permission of the Manipur government, the ICAR officials sent fluid samples to Bhopal and the results confirming the presence of bid flu virus was sent shortly.

On the basis of this report, the official machinery was galvanised. Interestingly, the officials at Bhopal rang up to convey the result to the Veteriry officials in Imphal notwithstanding the fact that there was no official connection among them. Nobody is asking why the ICAR officials had bypassed the State government in this serious issue.

There was a suggestion to conduct a second testing by the State government before plunging into culling operations. It involved lots of tax payers’ money. However, the well meaning suggestion which might have helped save millions of rupees had fell on deaf ears.

The TMC president had expressed his suspicion since the ICAR  has been a den of corruption. He feared some crimil conspiracy. The reaction from the ICAR in Imphal was brief and incoherent which failed to clear the thickening cloud. Because only some time back it was announced by the government that there is an outbreak of swine flu in Manipur. But the announcement petered out without rousing public concern and reaction. There is no report of slump in the sale of chicken in the state. More and more people fear that there may be more than what meets the eye.