Kolkata is on the edge. With bird flu spreading fast across West Bengal, the city authorities had enough reason to panic when bird deaths, especially among crows, were reported from some parts of Kolkata.

After two dead crows were spotted in Bowbazar area on Thursday morning, panic stricken residents informed the Kolkata Municipal Corporation control room. “Bird deaths are quite uncommon in our area. I spotted the two dead crows in the morning and informed KMC control room. The KMC men collected the dead birds by afternoon,” said local resident Banik Mukherjee.

Dev Daipayan Chattopadhyay, Chief Municipal Officer of the Health Department, said the birds have been sent to the Veterinary College in Belgachia for tests.

But Kolkata seems ill-equipped to manage a major outbreak. KMC has just seven veterinary doctors to monitor the situation in 15 localities. The duty of KMC vet doctors is limited to monitoring the work of the six slaughter houses and have not been given equipment or protective gear to tackle the situation.

“We have ordered uniforms from the State Health Department to meet any sort of emergency situation that might arise in areas under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation,” said Chattopadhyay, adding that KMC has decided to hire eight more veterinary doctors on a temporary basis.

Meanwhile, the sale of chicken and eggs in city markets have been hit by the latest outbreak. “The supply is down to one-tenth of the average. The last stock, which arrived on Sunday, has not yet been sold out,” said Manju Bibi, a chicken shop owner in Gariahat. The price of eggs has also dropped from Rs 2.50 to Re 1. A major portion of the supply in the market comes from Basirhat in North 24 Parganas.

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