VALPOI: About 25 residents of Valpoi along with Valpoi Municipal Council (VMC) Chairperson Ramdas Shirodkar and councillors marched to the veterinary office at Valpoi on Wednesday, to enquire if an autopsy was conducted on the dead monkey found in the council jurisdiction on Sunday.
Veterinary officer Dr Betkiker told the residents that he had no knowledge that a dead monkey was found at Valpoi.
“No one informed me about the carcass of a monkey found at Valpoi. I neither received a phone call from the Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) Control Room nor did I get any intimation from the forest department,” Dr Betkikar clarified.
Not satisfied with the veterinary officer's reply, the residents then went to the forest department office at Valpoi. However, the officer concerned was not available in the office.
According to his staff, the RFO had gone for site inspection/survey connected with his office work.
Sources informed that the carcass of monkey was disposed off without conducting a post-mortem on Sunday and without intimating the veterinary department.
The residents demanded that the government should handle the situation seriously, while making it mandatory to conduct a post-mortem of every dead monkey as part of efforts to tackle KFD cases in Sattari taluka since past two months.
VMC Vice-Chairperson Shaizin Shaikh, Councillors Sarfaraz Sayed, Parveen Khan and Parveen Idrus Shaikh, former councillors Nasir Khan and Fehmida Khan were present along with the locals.
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NOT A SERIOUS
ISSUE AS MADE
OUT TO BE: CM
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said that the issue was not serious as it was made out to be, "those who died had crossed the average life expectancy."
>> See pg 6
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VMC CHIEF UPSET
OVER HANDLING
KFD SITUATION
* Valpoi Municipal Council (VMC) Chairperson Ramdas Shirodkar said there was no coordination between various department officials, entrusted to monitor the KFD situation in Sattari.
* The number of KFD patients is nearing 100 in last the two months with two deaths and yet, there is no coordination between various departments, he said
* I will meet the Mamlatdar along with residents on Thursday and convey public dissatisfaction, he said
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