A porous border which not only leads to swelling population on this side but also lets in H5N1 virus-afflicted poultry, has led the state government to propose schemes before the Centre to ensure bio-safety measures along the international border with Bangladesh, reports The Statesman.

After the bird flu scare, the state government has proposed a scheme for following bio-safety measures in households rearing poultry within 5km along the Indo-Bangladesh border.

According to the scheme, poultry rearing system should be changed from traditional backyard one to semi-intensive system with the government providing support for developing infrastructure, supplying vaccines and medicines.

Early this year, bird flu affected a large number of districts in the state and animal resources development department suspected that the virus had found its way to the state through illegally smuggled poultry from Bangladesh. The flu ravaged backyard poultry, which made it far more difficult for the state government to control the disease even after culling, sanitising and mopping-up operations.

The state ARD department has estimated that there are 438,000 households within 5 kilometres of the border, and the state government should provide bamboo structures for housing the poultry along with fencing and netting so that bio-safety measures can be followed.

The scheme has been included in the proposals to be sent to the 13th Finance Commission.