Chicken, egg shops reopened in Ranchi

Chicken and egg shops in Ranchi have reopened after remaining closed since March 3 due to a confirmed case of bird flu in Ranchi. On Sunday, roadside chicken shops again witnessed throngs of people.

“I need chicken or eggs at least five days a week. I am happy that the shops are finally open,” said Sandip Singh, an employee of a private firm.

Sutapa Mukherjee, another customer at Dangratoli Chowk said, “We had either fish or mutton as the chicken was not available in the city markets. After more than two weeks we will have chicken for lunch today.'

Md Abdul, a shopkeeper at Lalpur Chowk, said they reopened their shops on Saturday evening. However, the period of closure led to losses. “On average, I used to earn between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,500 a day, but the closure of shops led to heavy losses. It was during this period that I started selling vegetables,” he said.

However, officials of the district animal husbandry department could not be contacted for comments.

Bird flu was confirmed in Ranchi on March 3 after samples from domestic poultry at the Jail More-based residence of Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda tested positive.