Bird flu: NDMC forms rapid response team to conduct field inspection

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Monday formed a rapid response team to conduct field inspection for examining various birds in its areas in the wake of a bird flu outbreak in the national capital. Delhi on Monday confirmed bird flu cases after eight samples sent to a Bhopal-based laboratory tested positive for avian influenza.

All eight samples - four from a park in Mayur Vihar Phase 3, three from Sanjay Lake and one from Dwarka - have been found positive for avian influenza, Dr Rakesh Singh from the animal husbandry unit of the Development Department said.

"In the wake of avian influenza (bird flu), a rapid response team has been formed to carry out the field inspection to examine various birds in NDMC area especially chickens, ducks and other migratory birds. The inspection report has been sought on weekly basis," said Ramesh Kumar, Health Office, NDMC


NDMC areas are home to the high and mighty of the country, including Union ministers and parliamentarians besides many top industrialists. Parliament House, offices of all the ministries, Supreme Court and residence of Supreme Court judges, senior bureaucrats and senior military officers are in NDMC areas.

Three other recreational parks in Delhi - Hauz Khas Park, Dwarka Sector 9 Park, Hastsal Park - were closed on Saturday. Barring Hastsal Park and Sanjay Lake, other parks were reopened after disinfection on Sunday, officials said.

Hauz Khas Park in south Delhi has a huge water body and attracts a large crowd every day. However, no death of birds has been reported there. The poultry market in Ghazipur has also been shut down temporarily.