NEW DELHI: The Delhi Government’s Department of Animal Husbandry on Saturday said that it was keeping a strict vigil on the 15 poultry farms in and around the Capital from where the city sources a major part of its poultry requirement. Also, Delhi’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Yoganand Shastri asserted that there is no cause for worry yet on account of the bird flu outbreak in West Bengal.

The Health Minister had recently met senior officers from the Delhi Government, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the New Delhi Municipal Council and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases to discuss the situation.

Reviewing the state of preparedness for threat arising from the flu, Dr. Shastri said: “Our Animal Husbandry Department is fully geared for any eventuality and has constituted a rapid response team. Also, the Department of Health and Family Welfare is fully geared to provide preventive coverage to any person or persons handling the suspected cases of bird flu. The Health Department has already constituted a State Rapid Response Team and nine District Rapid Response Teams for the purpose.”

The Health Minister has also directed that the public be made aware of the various do’s and don’ts pertaining to bird flu. Sales

He said the poultry brought to Delhi from neighbouring States and the vehicles carrying it were being inspected and sales were being allowed only after the required clinical checks.

While the Delhi Government claims to have made elaborate arrangements to prevent bird flu, wholesaler and retailers of poultry say that they are yet to register any fall in sales.

“Though we have been getting queries about the quality of meat on sale and where we source our poultry from, there has been no fall in sale or prices,” said Jawed Qureshi of Royal Corner (wholesale and retail dealers of poultry and meat) in Gole Market.