After hours of culling, officials end their day with good food, movies

Nearly 300 RRT workers have been lodged here since July 26 at the Government’s expenditure, trading home comforts for makeshift dormitories, HBO, mineral water and daily doses of Tamiflu plus medical checkups, after spending the better part of the day culling farm birds as part of the drive to control the spread of bird flu.

This is life under quarantine, during which period these workers will not be allowed to meet their families or leave the premises for purposes other than culling, and that too as a team, covered head to toe in Personnel Protection Equipment (PPE) kits. But most workers aren’t complaining.

“The food is good, stuff we get on occasions like weddings,” grins an RRT member as he pours himself water in a plastic disposable.

As some sit watching an action movie, others line up along the long tables set up in an enclosed area that has sleeping arrangements as well. For caterer G Krishnakanta Sharma and head cook G Basanta Sharma, this is a new experience.

“We have catered for weddings and funerals, Government functions and medical camps as well. But for the first time, we are taking medication (Tamiflu) before entering the premises. We prepare the food at our kitchen, and wash used utensils in hot water as an added precaution. We’re cooking around 600 meals per day and it costs us Rs 25,000 on average, after subsidising our services keeping the situation in mind,” says Krishnakanta.

An added advantage is that, being Brahmin cooks, they don’t prepare chicken and eggs anyway.

Talking amidst the groups of RRT members relaxing after a long day is V&AH Director Th Dorendra Singh. “It can never be that...