The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Den of bandicoots, snakes

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Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Den of bandicoots, snakes

Abhijit Dev Kumar

Dire conditions haunt MES Colony residents

– Photo: K. Ramesh Babu

Unkempt: View of the park at MES Colony, Sappers Line.

Hyderabad: Open drains, leaking roofs, rusting sports equipment, a play ground that has turned into a mini jungle, bandicoots digging their way into homes, snakes slithering in open spaces and dog menace.

These dire conditions haunt residents of Military Engineering Service Colony, Sappers Line at Balamrai cross roads.

The place has become a breeding ground for snakes in the past few years and residents are simply helpless as the Secunderabad Cantonment Board has turned a blind eye.

Rust

Young residents Sainath and Balakrishna team up with grass cutters every week to clear the playground before a cricket match. Spread over an acre, sports equipment was installed in the playground inaugurated in March, 2002. Now, the rust is a sign of no maintenance.

Thick bushes and trees spread all over have reduced the playing area drastically. Naturally, it has become a haven for snakes. “There are everywhere and even slither into our homes. The other day, a cobra was coiled up under a tree, leaving everyone petrified,” complains Ajay Kumar, an MES employee.

Snakes apart, dogs are another cause of concern to the residents.

Open drains

“They howl all night and chase us make it difficult for us to venture out after dark,” frowns another resident.

“We’ve called dog catchers many times but they see the dense bushes and go back every time,” he adds. Some homes in the colony have open drains forcing residents to clean them almost everyday. Residents also complain of bandicoots digging their way into homes burrowing tunnels.

While their asbestos roofs leak during the rain, the lanes and by lanes are full of washed away mud and fallen leaves. “It has been a long time since the sanitation workers came and cleaned the place,” says Sainath, a resident.

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