Culling was delayed for hours in Malda on Tuesday due to lack of preparations, even as the bird flu resurfaced in Bengal.

The culling operations, scheduled to begin in the morning, ultimately began at 5 pm and were carried out in the dark. Despite government order, the administration is yet to properly cordon off the affected areas and there are chances of the flu spreading. The teams also faced public ire at some areas.

“There are extensive preparations to be made, including formation of teams, giving them tamiflu and special protective gear. Therefore, it will take some time. We tried to start in the morning but ultimately teams went out in the evening,” said Sridhar Ghosh, District Magistrate of Malda.

After eight months, the avian flu has resurfaced in Malda. Official sources said the influenza had broken out at Chanchal in January and English Bazar in March.

On Tuesday, 18 teams were set up, each comprising 11 members, for the culling operation. Six mobile police teams were assigned to give protection to the culling teams since the administration expected to face public outrage.

In the morning, culling team members arrived late and there was mismanagement in distributing tamiflu and protective outfits, which took up a lot of time. Some of the culling teams did not even have the compensation money to pay the poultry farmers.

At Budhia, where the team reached at 6.30 pm, villagers protested as they were not paid compensation on the spot.

“It is very difficult to work like this. Nothing is planned. We were waiting for the vehicles, which did not arrive on time. Now in the evening we are ordered to leave for the villages. It is very difficult to find the birds and cull them in the dark,” said an official of the Department of Animal Resource Development (ARD), who is a part of the culling team.

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