Now, fish found dead in Sukhna

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 22

Four fish were found dead in Sukhna Lake by the employees of the UT Forest and Wildlife Department today.

In the wake of bird flu scare in Chandigarh, the UT Forest and Wildlife Department immediately informed the UT Animal Husbandry Department about the four fish dying in Sukhna Lake.

The dead fish were found during surveillance of Sukhna Lake by the UT Forest and Wildlife Department employees on Monday morning.

The UT Chief Conservator of Forests-cum-Chief Wildlife Warden, Santosh Kumar, said their Range Officers during their surveillance of Sukhna Lake found these fish dead near the lake’s regulatory end. They immediately informed the UT Animal Husbandry Department regarding the matter. Now, the department concerned will deal with the matter, he said.

When contacted, Dr Lovelesh Kant Gupta, Joint Director, UT Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department, said they would take out the dead fish from the lake.

He stressed that there was no need to panic as death of fish was common during winters. At present, they could not link the death of fish with that of bird flu, he said.

Last week, the UT Administration with the assistance of experts from the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL), Jalandhar, had conducted culling operation of 110 domesticated geese, after the Central Government notified the outbreak of avian influenza in captive ducks and geese at Sukhna Lake.

Yesterday, 14 bar-headed geese were found dead under mysterious circumstances in Jind, Haryana. Besides, 500 crows also found dead in Taran Taran village.