Archives for January 2021

The district administration has now decided to cull nearly 8,000 birds in Murumba village where these hens died, Collector Deepak Muglikar informed the media.

AURANGABAD: Bird flu has been confirmed as the cause of death of around 900 hens in the last few days at a poultry farm in Maharashtra’s Parbhani district, a senior official said on Monday.

The district administration has now decided to cull nearly 8,000 birds in Murumba village where these hens died.

Earlier, Muglikar on Saturday said around 900 hens had died at a poultry farm, run by a Self-Help Group (SHG), in the village and their samples were sent for testing.

“The cause of the death has been confirmed as bird flu. Hence, we have decided to cull all the birds in one-km radius of the place where these deaths took place,” the collector said.

“We have created a prohibitory zone in 10 km radius of the area where the birds died. No birds will be transported from there to any other place. Our medical team is stationed there and it is examining all people of the village,” he said.

There is no need to be panic and the district administration is taking all precautions.

The bird flu outbreak has already been confirmed in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

The central government on Sunday said it has directed zoo managements to submit daily reports to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) till their area is declared free from the disease.

The CZA, under the environment ministry, issued an office memorandum saying avian influenza is a scheduled disease under the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009, and reporting such a disease is obligatory for taking appropriate preventive measures against its spread.

NEW DELHI: More bird deaths were reported from some parts of the country on Friday amid cases of avian influenza, with the Haryana government planning to cull over 1.60 lakh birds in Panchkula district after samples tested positive for the disease, even as the Centre said that bird flu has been confirmed so far in six states.

The Centre said bird flu has been confirmed so far in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, and asked these six states to contain the disease as per the action plan.

Unusual mortality of 16 birds has also been reported at DDA park Hastsal Village in the national capital, and samples have been sent to a testing lab.”So far, the disease has been confirmed from six states (Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat).

“It is learnt that culling operations have been completed in both the affected districts of Kerala. The disinfection process is underway,” according to an official statement.

States that are still unaffected by Avian Influenza (AI) have been requested to keep a vigil on any unusual mortality among birds and to report immediately so that necessary measures are taken in the fastest possible time, it added.

Central teams have been deployed to visit the affected states of Kerala, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh for monitoring and for epidemiological investigation.

The government said that in Haryana, there has been confirmation of Avian Influenza positive samples from ICAR-NIHSAD in poultry (two poultry farms) of the Panchkula district.

Positive samples have also been reported in migratory birds in the Junagadh district, Gujarat, and in crows in Sawai Madhopur, Pali, Jaisalmer and Mohar districts of Rajasthan.

Therefore, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has suggested the affected states to contain the disease as per the Action Plan on Avian Influenza.

Over 1.60 lakh birds of five poultry farms in Haryana’s Panchkula district are set to be culled as some poultry samples there have tested positive for the avian flu, Agriculture minister J P Dalal said on Friday.

The employees of these poultry farms too would be examined by the health department, Dalal further said, adding they would also be given anti-viral medicines.

Notably, over four lakh poultry birds died at some farms in Haryana’s Panchkula district over the past several days.

Fresh cases of birds death were reported in parts of Rajasthan, taking the tally to 2,166.

The avian influenza subtype H5N8 has been detected in 11 districts of the state, including state capital.

As per Animal Husbandry Department, 329 deaths of birds, including 223 crows, 11 peacocks, 55 pigeons and 40 others were reported in the state today.

CM Mamata was speaking at the inauguration of the 26th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival 2021 via video conference on Friday.

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has allowed 100 per cent occupancy in cinema halls in the state but asserted following precautionary measures in the view of Covid-19.

She was speaking at the inauguration of the 26th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival 2021 via video conference on Friday.

“Due to the pandemic, only 50 per cent occupancy in cinema halls is allowed. Now I am allowing 100 per cent occupancy but proper care needs to be taken,” she said.

Actor Shahrukh Khan also participated in the event virtually. The Kolkata Film Festival, which was started in the year 1995, is being organised virtually in the view of Covid-19 pandemic.

Recently a similar notification was issued by the Tamil Nadu government to increase the occupancy in cinemas, theatres, and multiplexes to 100 per cent capacity.

However, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has written to Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary stating that the state government’s move is the dilution of the Ministry of Home Affair’s order.

Bhalla asked the chief secretary to immediately issue the necessary order to bring their guidelines in line with the MHA guidelines dated December 28, 2020, and inform compliance to this Ministry. 

MUMBAI: At least three of the ten infants died of burn injuries in the Bhandara district hospital fire in Maharashtra while seven others died of suffocation caused by smoke on Saturday, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said, adding that a probe is ordered and the guilty will not be spared.

He said Rs 5 lakh would be paid to family members of each of the deceased infant.

According to doctors, ten newborn babies, aged between a month and three months, died after fire broke out in the Special Newborn Care Unit of the hospital around 1.30 am.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope says out of 10 infants, 7 are died due to suffocation while three were burnt to death. The postmortem of infant bodies will not be carried out & handed over to families. Ajit Pawar ordered fire audit of govt hospitals. 

“The preliminary information available indicated that three infants died from burn injuries in the Bhandara district civil hospital while suffocation caused by smoke is the cause of the death of seven other infants,” Tope said in a video message.

He said the hospital staff saved seven other infants admitted in the affected Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

“The medical staff on duty opened the windows and doors of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit wards and shifted the infants to adjoining wards. However, they could not save the 10 infants,” he said.

Tope said, “chief minister Uddhav Thackeray informed me of sanctioning Rs five lakh to each to the family members of the deceased infants”.

He said the bodies have been sent to their respective homes for conducting the last rites.

“Persons responsible for this incident will not be spared. A detailed inquiry is ordered. We will try to avoid such incidents in future by learning from this tragedy,” he added.

Tope said he was rushing to the Bhandara civil hospital.