It was a day after the state government banned sale and movement of poultry in Bengal.

It was pressure from the central government that led the state government to ban the sale and purchase of eggs and chicken across the state. An official of the ARD department said: “The Centre was accusing us of being reluctant and negligent. Had there been a single case of human infection we would have come under fire. So we had to enforce the ban.”

Asked about the ongoing sale of poultry, minister for Animal Resource Development Department, Anisur Rahman, said: “It is their (district administration, Bengal police and Kolkata police and municipalities) duty to enforce the ban. I will bring the matter up.”

A confident state government had fixed February 12 as the tentative date to complete bird flu combat operations — culling, disinfecting and mopping. Till last reports came in about 35.81 lakh birds were culled.

The ban is most likely to be lifted on February 12 when the government is going to hold a review meeting to see whether the ban could be lifted.

In a review meeting, the state ARD and the state health department are to evaluate whether the flu spread to any new area, whether mopping operations have been completed and whether any human infections have been confirmed.

Based on those parametres, the decision on calling off the culling will be taken.

Representatives of West Bengal Poultry Farmers Association today met Anisur Rehman, minister for animal resources development department, and demanded that the government lift the ban. “We are incurring huge losses and if the ban continues the farmers may start committing suicide,” said Jayanta Bhattacharya, assistant secretary of the association.