Chitwan authorities destroy ‘illegal’ Indian chicken

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Published at : April 4, 2018

Updated at : April 4, 2018 09:00

Chitwan

Livestock Quarantine Check Post in Aaptari, Chitwan on Monday confiscated a refrigerated truck from India loaded with a consignment of frozen fish and chicken and destroyed it. Poultry entrepreneurs of the district with the help of young communist league, the sister organisation of CPN Maoist Centre had taken control of the captured truck and handed it over to police administration.

According to poultry entrepreneurs, it is illegal to import chicken, egg, chicks and even vaccine from abroad via land as there is risk of various flu related diseases entering Nepal through such imports. As cases of bird flu have been reported in India, no one is allowed to import chicken from there.

“But the check post found 350 sacks of readymade chicken in the truck,” said Durga Poudel chief of quarantine check post. “There was 20 to 30 kgs of chicken in a sack.” Quarantine officials claimed that the truck was loaded with around 8 tonnes of chicken.

Likewise, there were 100 cardboard boxes packed with fish. Each box contained around 15 kg of fish, according to Poudel. “The government hasn’t barred anyone from importing fish. But one has to get clearance from the livestock quarantine office stationed at the custom point,” said Poudel. “The truck driver could not produce such certificate and we had to destroy it.”

Instead of getting clearance certificate from livestock quarantine at the custom point, it took the clearance from the crops quarantine. The truck with Indian number plate ‘UP 70 BT 1776’ had entered Nepal via custom point at Belahiya, Bhairahawa. Green pea, potato chips and maize among others were also found in the truck. The truck that entered Nepali soil at 4pm on Sunday via Belahiya was taken into control by the poultry entrepreneurs of Chitwan at midnight on the same day.

Truck driver RiyaJ Khan is currently under the custody of Chitwan police. According to the statement given by Khan, a different driver was driving the truck till it reached Belahiya custom and it was handed over to him once it reached the border.