The fresh spell of rain has prompted the New Town authorities and residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) of housing complexes to launch a drive where carbolic acid and bleaching powder are being sprayed to minimise the possibility of snakebites.
Bushes and overgrown weeds on empty plots, median dividers and traffic islands are being cleared by teams from the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA).
A senior NKDA official said all bush-clearing teams had been told to be vigilant.
“Overgrown bushes and weeds provide cover for snakes. We have asked our teams to be extra vigilant and careful while removing them,” he said.
From Monday, NKDA teams have started spraying carbolic acid and bleaching powder.
The official said a vulnerability mapping of New Town was done to list areas where snakes are being spotted regularly. “We have started with the places that have been categorised as high risk zones,” he said. “This will continue till the onset of winter.”
At several housing complexes, staff have cleared overgrown weeds.
At Uniworld City, a housing complex in Action Area III, housekeeping staff are spraying carbolic acid and bleaching powder. There are two trained snake catchers on duty at the complex.
Snakes have been spotted at this complex since the onset of monsoons. Several snakes were caught and handed over to the forest department.
Supriyo Ghosh, RWA secretary at Uniworld City, said: “We have over 300 staff and everyone has been briefed on what to do after spotting a snake. We are regularly interacting with the residents through our WhatsApp group.”
At Rosedale Garden, opposite New Town’s Karigori Bhavan, similar measures have been adopted.
Rajna Basu, RWA president at Rosedale, said: “We are spraying carbolic acid and keeping an eye out on vulnerable places in our complex.”