Kupwara: An alert has been sounded in many areas of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district after several dead crows tested positive for avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu.

Official sources said that several dead crows were found in Payerpora, Gulgam, and in the premises of district treasury office Kupwara, the samples of which were taken and they tested positive for bird flu.

According to an official order passed by the district magistrate (DM) Kupwara, “It is imperative on the part of the administration that immediate necessary action should be taken to prevent the spread of infection to the poultry bird as well as to the general masses. Therefore, given the above, in the exercise of powers vested me under section 144 CRPC, I district magistrate Kupwara do hereby order that declaration of the area within one Kilometer radius from the epicenters i.e. Payerpora, Gulgam and district treasury premises Kupwara as “infected zones”, Declaration of 10 Kms of the area from the above-referred epicenters as “Alert Zones”.

Officials said that the chief animal husbandry officer Kupwara has ordered random sampling within one kilometer of the areas declared as “Infected Zones” and surveillance may also be intensified in the “Alert Zones”.

Reader correspondent