West Bengal: Cull first, get answers later

Via The Statesman: Avian flu in Hills. Excerpt:

Despite the on-going impasse in the Darjeeling hills because of the Gorkhaland movement, the state animal resources development department has decided to step up surveillance on poultry birds in the hill areas after presence of bird flu virus was confirmed on 6 January. 

The state ARD officials had ordered culling of poultry birds in Takdah located in the hills of Darjeeling as soon as presence of H5N1 virus was clinically confirmed. 

Now, with the law and order situation deteriorating in the hills, the decision to cull the poultry birds with the clinical confirmation appears to have been a wise one. 

As laboratory confirmation of bird flu virus took a few days, it could have been spread in a vast area if culling had not been ordered based on the clinical confirmation. 

The state had earlier urged the Centre to help carrying out surveillance on poultry birds in the Darjeeling hills saying state officials were facing serious problems owing to the agitation launched by Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha. 

Senior ARD officials said while they are yet to receive any response from the Centre in this regard they have decided to strengthen the vigilance in the area.