Photo Courtesy: nenews
Guwahati: Tinsukia district officials shut down pork sales and ordered immediate pig culling this week. Simoluguri village in the Margherita Revenue Circle serves as the current epicentre for African Swine Fever. The virus kills almost every pig it touches.
The District Commissioner triggered the National Action Plan for Control, Containment and Eradication of African Swine Fever on Monday. Authorities established a 1-kilometre infected zone around the village. A 10-kilometre surveillance zone surrounds it. Veterinary teams will cull pigs and sanitize the area between July 21 and July 23.
All pork shops in Digboi Co-District must stay closed for 30 days. No one can move pigs or pork products into or out of the district. This includes shipments to neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh. This outbreak marks the second incident in Tinsukia in six weeks. On June 9, Ouguri village in the Doomdooma Development Block faced similar measures.
Official records show ASF remains a major threat to Indian livestock since its 2020 arrival. Assam has already lost more than 40,000 pigs to the disease. The current crisis affects 14,000 families across 22 districts. District officials warned that any defiance of these orders leads to legal trouble. "Violations will attract action under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita," the order states. Residents must comply with the Disaster Management Act of 2005.
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