BIRD FLU

Outbreak of bird flu in Maharashtra and the Indian government's slow response to this potentially deadly outbreak again highlights the lethargic attitude of our elected representatives. That India's largest poultry company managed to keep the outbreak under wraps for some time, and it took the deaths of over 40,000 birds to draw the government's attention is a slap on the face of the establishment. In fact, does the government care at all?

The government took no precautions to safeguard India against the virus, which was spreading across the world like wildfire and was certain to reach our shores sooner rather than later. Detection took longer still, and though chickens are being burnt at a rapid pace now, there is now a concern about the safety of those employed to do the job. Government has had to employ extra staff on a temporary basis to fuel culling on such a massive scale. But there is not enough protective gear for this extra staff, which makes them easy targets. And all this killing may just not be enough.

The poultry farming industry will surely take a huge hit from this crisis. Big companies may still be able to survive this onslaught, but small-scale farmers, who run this trade from their backyards, will lose a valuable source of income. It can be argued that the government is offering compensation for every bird, but while a chicken fetches somewhere around Rs 80 in a market, the government has set the price at a paltry Rs 40. This has forced medium to small operators to hold back their birds, some of which could be infected! They are, however, ready to risk the threat rather than take a monetary setback which could leave their kids starving.

With such poor planning and miserable implementation, it'll be some time before Indian shores are rid of bird flu -- if at all!