4 snakes caught at RP Nilayam ahead of President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit

SECUNDERABAD

: Four snakes were caught in

Rashtrapati Nilayam

at Bolarum and shifted to Nehru zoo on Thursday, a week ahead of Ram Nath Kovind’s winter sojourn in Hyderabad. The President is arriving here on December 21 on a four-day annual visit to the south.


Snake catchers trapped two cobras, a Russell’s viper and a rat snake and shifted the poisonous snakes to the zoo. “A team from the zoo will be stationed at the RP Nilayam to catch snakes, which sprawl around in the 90-acre lush green area. The team will move out only after Kovind leaves for Delhi,” director,

Nehru Zoological Park

, S Sidhanand Kukreti told TOI.

According to a tentative schedule, Kovind will visit Karimnagar on December 22, attend ‘At Home’ in Raj Bhavan the next day and leave for Delhi on December 24.

Ahead of the President’s visit, the forest department cleaned up the RP Nilayam by planting saplings, arranging exotic flower plants and developing a

butterfly

garden. Officials said greenery was developed on the 20-acre open space.

As part of the landscaping and beautification of the premises, 41 plants of ‘sacred grove’, which is found in temples, were also planted. A neem garden of 476 plants, tamarind grove of 20 plants, Japanese maple grove of 462 plants, golden bamboo (40 plants) and a flower sapling grove of 1,400 plants also formed part of the green drive.

A rock garden, water cascade, small gazebo, wood grove (406 plants) and a ‘nature’ classroom were also set up at the President’s official retreat home. Apart from these, the forest officials also developed avenue plantations along with pathways of 500 metres and ornamental benches.