New Delhi, Jan 24: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi on Thursday said that the Centre was in touch with the State Governments on the prevailing situation of bird flu and it would work in tandem with states to contain its spread.

Dasmunsi told reporters that there the West Bengal Government delayed informing the Centre about the outbreak.

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has briefed the Union Cabinet about the out-break and the spread of bird flu in different districts of West Bengal.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked to extensively use All India Radio channels to disseminate knowledge about bird flu through.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rehman said that the situation is under control. The State government has released 85 million rupees for compensation to poultry losers and urged the centre for more funds in this regard.

A high alert has been sounded in all the nine districts of Jharkhand that are adjacent to West Bengal.

Jharkhand Animal Husbandary Secretary A. K. Sarkar has said that a crisis management team has been set up to monitor the situation.

A high level three member central team today visited Golpara and Phaulbari area of Garo Hills district of Meghalaya to take stock of the situation on bird flu across the border areas of the state.

On Wednesday, Pawar had said that the deadly H5N1 virus that infected nine districts of West Bengal has entered from Bangladesh.

He had also said that the Centre had warned the bordering states to keep a check on poultry smuggling, adding, “But I think they mustn't have paid attention.”

About 160,000 poultry birds have been culled in West Bengal so far, while over 100,000 birds have succumbed to the disease.

The H5N1 strain has killed more than 200 people globally since it re-emerged in Asia in 2003 and has since spread across much of Asia, the Middle East, parts of Europe and Africa.

The WHO has called the outbreak the most serious in India. (ANI)