Snakebite cases: Dysfunctional local panels blamed
VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board officials told TNIE that dysfunctional Local Biodiversity Committees in Kodur, Avanigedda, Mopidevi, and Nagayalanka contributed to environmental disruption, which led to higher number of snakebite cases. Such cases would only increase if these local bodies remain inactive, they said.
In the 11,725 local biodiversity bodies which were to be formed, only 5,400 have been constituted so far. Biodiversity Board is in the process of forming the rest of the local bodies, but it feels there is a lack of initiative on the part of members of the committees already formed. “The committees formed have never told us about any environmental measures to be initiated anywhere,” said V Srinivas Rao, State Coordinator, AP State Biodiversity Board. “Each environmental body requires government officials from several departments like education, agriculture, forest etc., But since these departments have many vacant posts, we are appointing overburdened officers to the posts,” Srinivas said. KSN Madhu, Krishna District Coordinator, Biodiversity Board, said, “Since the committees are not active, there has been indiscriminate development activity going on across the State and snakes have lost their habitats and entered human territory.”
“I don’t know who the members of the committee are. Nobody has been showing any interest in taking measures for protecting the environment,” said K Samudralu, former Sarpanch of Hamsala Devi, a panchayat of Kodur Mandal.