Karnataka govt sounds 'high alert' over bird flu
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has asked all districts to be on 'high alert' and take preventive measures in the wake of bird flu (H5N8) outbreak in neighboring Kerala, Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chauhan said on Wednesday.
As of now no cases of bird flu have been reported in the state, but officials have been directed to take all preventive measures, he said.
Deputy Directors of the department in districts including Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Mysuru, and Chamarajanagar that shares a border with Kerala have been directed to take preventive measures by holding district-level diseases control committee meetings, along with Deputy Commissioners (DC).
It has also been directed to erect checkpoints in border areas for prohibiting the transportation of poultry and poultry products from Kerala and to allow poultry transport vehicles from the neighboring state only after disinfection /sanitization, a release from the Minister's office said.
Officials have been directed to submit daily reports on the preventive measures taken, to the office of the Deputy Director Poultry Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, it added.
The bird flu has been reported in parts of Alappuzha and Kottayam districts in Kerala, prompting officials to cull over 69,000 birds, including ducks and chicken.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
