The residents of Samajam Road, near the Don Bosco School at Pachalam, have been living in fear for the past two weeks following reports of viper attacks in the area. According to a resident, Louis Philip, the snake ‘scare’ began more than a week ago when a viper crawled into their house situated near the road in the wee hours.
“We were in the house when we noticed the snake near the entrance. We cried out to our neighbours who rushed to help us. The snake was caught and killed. We thought everything was back to normal, till another viper struck again.”
Two days ago, a viper once again came near a house located on Samajam Road. This time, the efforts of the neighbours to catch the snake went in vain. According to Pachalam councillor Manikandanraj, the source of the vipers is a large unattended private piece of land on Samajam road. “The area belongs to an old couple who now lives in Palakkad. The land had once been attended to by the family. When the family moved away, the land began to get neglected. The overgrown grass and weeds have become a breeding ground to snakes,” Manikandanraj said.
He has contacted the owners for the permission to trim the weeds to bring down the viper menace. “The situation is dangerous. We have our limitations though, as the land belongs to a private owner and can’t do anything unless we receive their permission.
However, if this goes unchecked it could pose danger for many residents in the area,” the councillor said. He said that the Mayor and Health officer has been alerted regarding the issue.