JOIN USThe outbreak of avian flu at the Central Poultry Development Organisation at Hesaraghatta in Bangalore has hit business at dhabas and restaurants in the vicinity.
Dasa Garden Dhaba is one such eatout which had to bear the brunt. Since the flu alert, Kempanna, an employee at the dhaba, has been assigned the task of looking out for customers. “Avian flu has hit our business very hard,” he said.
Lakshmamma, owner of the dhaba, said: “Unaware of the flu, just a couple of days ago, we bought chicken. Even before we could realise, one of the chickens was infected by the
flu and died.”
The entire kitchen had to be cleared of chicken and eggs, she added. “We gave away the chicken for free to anyone who wanted. Soon after that, we stopped serving chicken at the dhaba,” she added.
Noting that there had been a steep fall in the number of customers visiting the dhaba, Lakshmamma said that men who came to her dhaba preferred to have chicken with their drink. Now, the business has come to a standstill.
Several customers walked out of the dhaba on knowing that chicken would not be served, she added.
Starting from Chikka Banavara, not a single meat shop here sells chicken. Every day flu alerts are given at the Hesaraghatta panchayat.
“We have been told not to eat chicken or eggs. Even if we have to eat them, they have to be cooked at 70 degree Celsius,” said Govindaraju of Soladevanahalli.
“There is no way I could have missed the information blaring out from the loudspeakers,” he said. The situation is the same in restaurants in the City. The price of chicken has dropped to Rs 60 a kg from Rs 85.
According to Mehran Khan, owner of a chicken retail outlet in Johnson Market, there has been a drop in the demand for chicken from hotels.