<p>A drive to cull over 1.60 lakh poultry birds at five poultry farms commenced in Haryana's Panchkula district on Saturday, officials said.</p>.<p>The move comes after samples of some birds in two poultry farms at Kheri and Ganauli villages in Panchkula tested positive for the H5N8 strain of avian flu on Friday.</p>.<p>"The process (to cull birds) started today by the state's animal husbandry department," Panchkula Deputy Commissioner M K Ahuja said.</p>.<p>He said it will take around two to three days to complete the drive.</p>.<p>The deputy commissioner further informed that a team of National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal would visit Panchkula next week.</p>.<p>On Friday, Haryana Animal Husbandry Minister J P Dalal had said that 1,66,128 birds of five poultry farms would be culled and buried as per the guidelines of the Union government.</p>.<p>The state government had constituted 59 teams for the drive.</p>.<p>The owners of the poultry farms would be given a compensation of Rs 90 per bird.</p>.<p>The state government has already declared the area within 1 km radius of the two poultry farms as an 'infected zone' and the area from 1 km to 10 km as 'surveillance zone'.</p>.<p>Around four lakh birds had died in poultry farms in Panchkula in the past month.</p>.<p>Panchkula's Barwala-Raipur Rani area is one of the largest poultry belts in the country with 70-80 lakh birds in more than 100 farms.</p>
<p>A drive to cull over 1.60 lakh poultry birds at five poultry farms commenced in Haryana's Panchkula district on Saturday, officials said.</p>.<p>The move comes after samples of some birds in two poultry farms at Kheri and Ganauli villages in Panchkula tested positive for the H5N8 strain of avian flu on Friday.</p>.<p>"The process (to cull birds) started today by the state's animal husbandry department," Panchkula Deputy Commissioner M K Ahuja said.</p>.<p>He said it will take around two to three days to complete the drive.</p>.<p>The deputy commissioner further informed that a team of National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal would visit Panchkula next week.</p>.<p>On Friday, Haryana Animal Husbandry Minister J P Dalal had said that 1,66,128 birds of five poultry farms would be culled and buried as per the guidelines of the Union government.</p>.<p>The state government had constituted 59 teams for the drive.</p>.<p>The owners of the poultry farms would be given a compensation of Rs 90 per bird.</p>.<p>The state government has already declared the area within 1 km radius of the two poultry farms as an 'infected zone' and the area from 1 km to 10 km as 'surveillance zone'.</p>.<p>Around four lakh birds had died in poultry farms in Panchkula in the past month.</p>.<p>Panchkula's Barwala-Raipur Rani area is one of the largest poultry belts in the country with 70-80 lakh birds in more than 100 farms.</p>