According to The Times of India, with a large number of poultry farms in the area being blamed for the menace, the department has sealed 11 such farms and issued closure notices to 10 of them.

"Some of the poultry farms had to be sealed as major violations were found on their premises. Closure notices have also been issued to several others. The action was taken in the wake of the residents' complaints," said Nirmal Kashyap, regional officer, pollution control department.

"One of the major violations in these farms was improper dumping of manure which brings swarms of flies in nearby places. The farms have been told to dispose of the stored manure or sell it to farmers at the earliest. And till then, these will remain closed. The department got cracking after the high court orders," he added.

A senior officer of the department said, "The farm owners will have to take No Objection Certificate from the department in case the number of hens in farms exceeds one lakh."

The action has shocked the farm owners.

"We were surprised on receiving the closure notices. We have been working here for many years in the same manner, but no objections were raised earlier," said a poultry farm owner.

Deputy director, animal husbandry, M R Singla said, "The notices were issued a few days ago, so they will take some time to dispose of the manure."