Delhi: Kejriwal government relieves teachers from bird flu duties at border points
The Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi has announced to relieve teachers from field duties to check illegal transportation of poultry into the national capital in view of the avian influenza (bird flu).
Delhi's Education Minister Manish Sisodia said that it has been brought to his notice that teachers are being deployed by some district magistrates in field duties related to enforcement of the notification to prevent ingress of the avian influenza. He said that teachers are not mean for "this kind of duty".
"They are all busy with online classes. Moreover, for students of classes 10 and 12, the government has already announced special practical classes from Monday onwards i.e; January 18, 2021. It is, therefore, directed that no deployment of teachers is permitted for duties related to the prevention of ingress of the avian influenza (bird flu) in NCT of Delhi,” Sisodia said in an order issued on Thursday.
Sisodia's order came a day after a group of teachers and civil defence volunteers were deployed at various borders to check and report any illegal transportation of poultry into the national capital.
READ MORE: Bird flu outbreak: Civic officials to monitor meat shops in Delhi; NDMC to start helpline
Meanwhile, all the three municipal corporations in the national capital lifted the ban on sale, storage of poultry or processed chicken meat after 100 samples taken from Asia’s largest 'chicken mandi' in Ghazipur tested negative for bird flu. The city government also allowed the Ghazipur poultry market, biggest supplier of poultry products in the region, to open.
The director of the Delhi government’s animal husbandry unit said bird flu has not spread among chickens in the city as all the 100 samples taken from the Ghazipur poultry market have tested negative.
The three municipal corporations had on Wednesday banned the sale and storage of poultry or processed chicken meat by shops and restaurants.
Bird flu outbreak has been confirmed in Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat so far. Around 850 bird deaths have been reported from various parts of Delhi since January 6.
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