Following the outbreak of bird flu reported in some parts of Kerala, Tenkasi, Kanniyakumari and Theni, the border districts of Tamil Nadu, had been put on full alert, officials said on Sunday.
Tenkasi SP T.P. Suresh Kumar said that vehicles from Kerala were being scanned and screened by multiple departments. Already, as per the ECI guidelines, the Flying Squad Team and Static Surveillance Team are functioning at the check-post.
The Animal Husbandry department officials said that a team of veterinary doctors with assistants is posted on round-the-clock duty. Vehicles from Kerala, which had consignments such as chicken, egg and other consumable, are not allowed inside as a precautionary measure.
The crew members are also screened and if they had any illness such as cold or dry cough, they were being tested as per the mandatory procedures.
At Puliyarai check-post in Tenkasi district, the teams are working in three shifts and senior officers from the district headquarters are also carrying out inspections. An officer said that a truck with cattle-feed consignment was not allowed as it was heading to Tenkasi from Alleppey district.
In Theni district, officials said that they had put up special check-posts on borders between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Points like Bodimettu, Lower Camp and Kumily are now under scanner. Normally, vegetables, flowers, milk and other items were transported from towns like Dindigul, Theni and some parts of Madurai. From Kerala, meat, chicken, egg and cattle-feed were procured by merchants in these districts in Tamil Nadu.
With bird-flu alert, the meat from Kerala is stopped and the goods vehicle crew are not permitted, the officials said.
An FST officer in Kanniyakumari district said that with general elections to be held on April 26 in Kerala for the Lok Sabha, the checks for unaccounted cash and other objectionable items as per the ECI guidelines were closely done by them and their teams were fully functional.
