Protesting with snakes: Hyderabad resident takes peculiar step amid civic neglect

A peculiar incident recently highlighted the frustration of Hyderabad’s residents with the city’s civic authorities. Sampath Kumar, a resident of Alwal, found himself in an unusual situation when heavy rains led to waterlogging in many low-lying areas, including his own home. Despite making multiple appeals for help to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Kumar’s complaints were allegedly ignored, leaving him exasperated. Feeling unheard and desperate for a resolution, Kumar decided to take matters into his own hands. He managed to capture a snake that had intruded into his house due to flooding. In an unorthodox act of protest, Kumar brought the snake to the GHMC ward office and released it there. A video of the incident went viral on social media, showing the snake calmly crawling on a table in the office. With this act, Kumar intended to draw attention to the waterlogging issue and compel the GHMC to address the problem seriously. https://twitter.com/nbramllb/status/1684102742695092224?s=46 Snakes entering residential areas during heavy rains had become a growing concern. Avinash Visvanathan from the Friends of Snakes Society (FoSS) in Hyderabad explained to Moneycontrol that the floods had displaced snakes from their natural habitats, forcing them to seek refuge in human settlements. The video went viral. Many residents echoed Kumar’s sentiments, stating that complaints regarding waterlogging and sanitation issues often went unaddressed, exacerbating their problems. While releasing a snake at a government office may not be the most appropriate way to address civic issues, it served as a reminder of the importance of a responsive administration that promptly attends to citizen grievances. The incident also sparked discussions on the necessity of improved disaster management strategies in the city to mitigate the impact of heavy rains and flooding. The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) red alert for heavy rainfall in several districts of Telangana has highlighted the need for civic authorities to take prompt action so that citizens do not suffer.