What you may not reckon is that most of the birds have been dead for two or three days before being cleaned. And the un-refrigerated chicken was lying in the open for hours before it found its way to the barbecue.

If the oil used to cook the chicken is contaminated, you may get dropsy. If the chicken is stale or the birds are diseased, you could end up in hospital with food-poisoning. Chicken traders-cum-commission agents-cum-suppliers at Ghazipur who have been on strike for three days now, blame Sahib Singh's government for compromising with ``the citizens' health once again''.

They went on a week-long strike protesting the Public Grievance Committee decision that chicken will henceforth be sold by weight and not by the traditional auction method. They warn that they might prolong their agitation.

``The decision is politically motivated,'' says Mohammed Saleem, a commission agent at Ghazipur. ``The government is trying to appease a certain section of Haryana-based poultry farmers.'' Though the Chief Minister could not be contacted for comment, despite repeated attempts, a senior official on the Delhi Agricultural Products Board concurred with Saleem's views.

``Poultry farmers from Jind are behind this move. They are the most vociferous about implementing the weight system. However, farmers from Karnal, Panipat, and Safedeo (all in Haryana) are against it,'' the official said.

The reason: Jind farmers breed the Avian variety of chicken. These are smaller in size but heavier than other popular varieties like Cob or Heart-Breaker bred by others. Chicken consignments, prior to the strike, were auctioned. And the unit of sale was ikori, with prices being quoted for either seven crates or 100 crates of chicken.

Each crate is packed with eight to 10 birds. Breeds like Cob are bigger in size but lighter in weight when compared with Avians. ``In the auction system, the weight of the birds is of little consequence. Thus, farmers of bigger birds make good profit,'' said Saleem. ``The Jind farmers who were packing more of their smaller birds in a crate realised that they were losing money. The weight system was the only way out for them.'' For the commission agents, the weight system also means the end of their long-standing monopoly of the market. Besides supplying chicken to the Capital, Ghazipur market caters to 30 per cent of UP's requirements. And a daily sale of about 1.5 lakh birds brings in more than Rs 30 lakh.

With the middlemen on strike, poultry farmers have allegedly begun supplying diseased and old birds to the retail market directly. Prior to the strike, they earned Rs 55-Rs 60 per kg in auctions. Now desperate hoteliers have promised them an additional Rs 20 per kg, for whatever stock they have.Though chicken was largely unavailable in the city's retail outlets today, discreet enquiries revealed that raw meat could be bought for almost double the previous rate. In Khan Market, boneless chicken was being sold, only to restaurateurs, for Rs 200 per kg Rs 40 more than the regular rate. ``This is a concession for us because we are regulars. For the common man, it is not less than Rs 300,'' said a restaurant-owner.

The barbecue shops at Gole Market have stopped displaying Tandoori chicken. The kebabs and tikkas are still being sold -- Rs 10 costlier per plate.The Poultry Federation of India, who had extended their support to the striking Ghazipur commission agents, said unless the government intervenes, many people will be taken ill.