Each member of the culling team that comprised locals recruited on a daily basis and Animal Resource Development (ARD) officials, is supposed to take the tablets for at least 10 days after the culling operation is complete. This has, however, not happened at the grassroots level, thereby rendering the entire safety measures ineffective. Meanwhile, the culling at some parts of the state is scheduled to continue even tomorrow.

At Rampurhat sub-division, where the avian influenza was first detected, over 300 locals were recruited along with the ARD staff members, who operated in various villages. But after a couple of days into the culling, none took the medicine. Culling operations in the sub-division were over on February 1. Over 600 ARD officials also skipped the medication and returned home.

“As far as the locals in the culling team are considered, we are not responsible if they do not undergo health check-ups or take medicines. However, we are asking the ARD staff to stay in their respective areas for 10 days, so that they can receive the medicines. We are responsible for them,” said state ARD minister, Anisur Rehman.

The health officials in Birbhum, however, blamed the ARD for the faux pas.

“The ARD officials recruited locals in the team. They were supposed to keep a list and produce them before us. It is the ARD’s responsibility to ensure that these men receive the medicines and come for the check ups. The ARD staff members too have gone back to their homes. The entire course becomes ineffective if it is not completed,” said Birbhum CMOH Sunil Kumar Bhowmik.

Madhab Mal, a resident of Margram village who took part in the culling operations, said: “We took the tablets for two days after the culling operations began on January 16. After that, no medicines were given to us. Now, after culling is over, no one has even contacted us.”

According to the state government officials, till Saturday, an estimated 31,91,420 birds were culled by the 277 teams operating in various districts of the state, including Hooghly, North 24 Paraganas and South 24 Parganas. The teams also carried out culling in a radius of 5 km at Jibantala village of the Canning sub-division in South 24 Parganas where bird flu was confirmed yesterday.