ADDITIONAL COLLECTOR Rameshwar Gupta on Sunday directed civic body officials to ensure that pig-breeders keep their animals confined to pens and not to allow them to roam on the streets.
The directives came after a spate of porcine deaths in Indore and nearby Mhow sparked fears that the avian influenza (bird flu) virus may have penetrated the pig population.
Addressing a meeting of Indore Municipal Corporation and Animal Husbandry Department officials Gupta ordered for a strict watch to be kept on backyard poultry farms and pigsties.
Joint Director Animal Husbandry RS Shrimali, IMC Chief Medical Health Officer Dr AK Puranik and other senior officials were among those who attended the meeting.
An estimated 1.25 lakh pigs live within municipal limits and survive mostly by foraging on garbage dumps. Although the percentage pf pork eaters in Indore borders on negligible a large number of people, mostly in old Indore and in slum areas adjoining nullahs, breed pigs and the livestock is later exported to Mumbai.
Several attempts have been made to house the breeders at a specially designated place and the IMC had even allocated land for the purpose.
{{/usCountry}}Several attempts have been made to house the breeders at a specially designated place and the IMC had even allocated land for the purpose.
{{/usCountry}}The proposal, however, never saw the light of the day owing to the vehement opposition of pig-breeders. Just a few days ago a team of the Corporation’s Health Department was attacked by pig breeders resulting in injuries to several staffers.