Monday, February 20 2006 11:43 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Culling operations of chickens in poultry farms at Navapur tehsil in Nandurbar district would be completed by this evening, Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Minister Anees Ahmed said today (Feb 20,2006).

"So far, we have buried over 30,000 birds", the Minister told sources from Navapur.

No fresh cases of people with symptoms like mild fever have been reported from Navapur area, the minister said.

Ahmed said Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was scheduled to visit Navapur today, has changed his programme.

Now, Deshmukh would be only conducting an aerial survey of the affected area and addressing officials at the Nandurbar district headquarters, the minister said.

Ahmed said population from 19 villages in the 3-km radius of Navapur was under strict surveillance of medical experts with door-to-door survey being conducted for any flu symptoms, while isolation ward has been raised at Navapur to treat any suspected birdflu case.

As a precautionary measure, the state has directed that chicken and poultry products in the state were not transported to markets in any part of the state without being certified by specialists.

A team of nearly 300 veterinary and medical experts is camping at Navapur, he said.