Horamavu under snake attack

BANGALORE: Affluent residents of Coconut Grove Layout in water-starved Horamavu, a newly added BBMP ward, now pay less for water and more to catch poisonous snakes in their compounds. Some households shell out Rs 600 just to get one snake caught.
This ward is among the most populous, with population exceeding 90,000 in Census 2011. Houses in this area near K R Puram remain surrounded by vacant sites which are not maintained and a breeding ground for venomous snakes.
On May 6, the area witnessed the first snakebite death. Lakshmi B, a 26-year-old Nepali domestic help, who went to pluck flowers in an apartment garden, died within hours of being bitten by a snake. She was two months pregnant.
Women in the apartment rushed her to nearby hospital but in vain. Not many autorickshaws ply these narrow, bumpy roads as drivers refuse to come there. Those who do demand high fares. Finally, when the women got help, Lakshmi was already dead.
"I was told there are snakes here but I hadn't realized they'd up killing us. We're leaving for Nepal. I just hope there are no more deaths,'' said her husband Bijay Bahadur, a security guard. Her son Prashanth, 2, still weeps for his mother, little knowing she won't come back.
After this incident, parents keep their kids locked indoors. But, the threats of snakes continue. Every home has an anecdote to share.
"We've seen three huge snakes within our compound in the past five months'' says Lakshmi Siju, a mother of two. The last time, on Saturday, it was a 4.5-foot Russel Viper. "I'd just come in after checking the water level in the sump. From the window, I spotted the snake in our compound, just a few feet from the sump,'' she said.
"Even after Lakshmi's death, the corporation has done nothing to get the vacant sites cleaned. We're get them cleaned regularly at our expense. We also pay Rs 150 per house for road and layout development now. It's a shame on the BBMP. Our lady corporator never takes calls. It's always her husband who answers. They've done nothing to help us," says an angry Saroj Ramnani, 67, the oldest resident of this layout.
Horamavu corporator Tejaswini N Raju was unavailable for comment.
Price of expansion
Yes, there are regular calls from Horamavu. We now have two of our 33 volunteers across the city exclusively for this ward. Unfortunately, all these issues are also a problem of development. Expanding beyond city limits, we have also encroached into the natural habitat of snakes, mostly in newly added areas.
Sharath Babu R | environment adviser, BBMP forest cell
toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com