Bhubaneswar: In a tragic incident, more than 5,300 chickens perished due to extreme heat following a prolonged power outage at a poultry farm in Malkangiri district. The deaths have caused an estimated loss of Rs 15 lakh to the farm owner.
According to reports, the transformer at the poultry farm was damaged, leading to a complete electricity failure. With temperatures soaring, the farm relied on a diesel generator (DG) set to run cooling and ventilation systems.
However, diesel was unavailable at local pumps, worsening the crisis. As a result, around 5,300 chickens died of heat stress. The total weight of the deceased chickens is reported to be approximately 12 tons.
Speaking to reporters, the distressed farm owner alleged that petrol pumps refused to supply diesel in barrels despite the emergency. “If diesel is not made available immediately and power supply remains erratic, the remaining chickens will also die,” he warned.
