State animal resource development minister Anisur Rehman said: “In Murshidabad, the two blocks which recently tested positive for bird flu, were near the affected areas.” He said it was very difficult to control the virus in backyard poultry.

Elsewhere, the state government said the Centre had not released money for the compensation package announced by it. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee called up Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on Monday and raised the issue, government sources said.

Anisur Rehman had asked Bhattacharjee on Sunday that he bring up the issue with the Centre. “After the bird flu broke out, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee went to Delhi and spoke to both Dr Manmohan Singh and Sharad Pawar regarding compensation to families with poultry. Later, we also forwarded a rehabilitation package. But the money has yet to come. This has made things difficult for us at ground level, where we need to give compensation during culling to the affected families,” Rehman said.

The minister also said that till date, the Centre has given Rs 3.5 crore and Rs 5 crore respectively in two phases. The government, however, needs Rs 11.75 crore for compensation during culling operations and Rs 35 crore for the seven lakh families affected in the state.

Meanwhile, more unnatural deaths of birds were reported from Ilambazar in Birbhum, the district where bird flu was first reported from.

Culling operations in two blocks in Murshidabad, including Jiagunge and Raghunathgunge II block, began today. A total of 50,000 birds are scheduled to be culled in the coming days. The administration was confident, however, that culling will be over in these areas within two days.