The sightings of snakes have gone up manifold since the onset of the monsoon, prompting the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) to issue a set of guidelines for the residents.

A senior officer at the forest department’s Wildlife Rescue and Transit Facility in Baisakhi, Salt Lake, said they were getting at least seven to eight calls daily to rescue snakes from New Town and Rajarhat.

According to the officer, on an average, three to four snakes were being rescued every day.

A senior NKDA official said they have issued a safety advisory and guidelines for the residents.

According to the official, they have started a free ambulance service that will be available round-the-clock to transport snakebite victims to the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) in New Town’s Action Area I.

The institute serves as the dedicated snakebite management centre for the township.

Vials of anti-venom serum (AVS), saline and medicines needed to treat snakebite victims have been stocked at this hospital. A set of beds dedicated to snakebite victims has been also been set up.

“This facility is open 24X7 and has medical personnel trained to handle snakebite cases,” the official added.

To avail of the ambulance services residents can call 18001037652.

In case any housing complex feels the need to spray snake repellents such as carbolic acid, they can call 9932864112 for assistance.

A separate helpline number for clearing weeds and bushes has also been activated the NKDA official said. Numbers of the Wildlife Rescue Centre in Baisakhi have also been shared.

“We have already cleared weeds and are also spraying carbolic acid and other snake repellents in areas where sightings have been recorded. Our teams will also conduct visits based on residents’ feedback and they can call our helpline numbers,” said the NKDA official.

A senior forester posted at the Wildlife Rescue Centre said over the past few months, they have observed that a high number of Russell’s Vipers were rescued as compared to other species of snakes found in New Town.

According to the official, New Town and Rajarhat have traditionally been home to a variety of snakes. Four poisonous species are found in the area. They are monocled cobra, Russell’s viper, common krait and banded krait.

These areas were earlier open tracts of land interspersed with water bodies.

“In the past few weeks, we have been rescuing a higher number of Russell’s viper. We have caught them from New Town housing complexes such as Uniworld City, Sukhobrishti Housing Complex and Sanjeeva Gardens among others,” said Manoj Kumar Josh, the range officer of the wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility in Baisakhi.

Last year, three men lost their lives to snakebites and a Class X student landed in hospital after she got bitten by a snake in front of her house in New Town.