Vacant plots in DLF City turn breeding ground for snakes

Residents of DLF City Phase-2 are terrified to step out these days after 4-5 cobras were spotted in the area two days ago.

Residents of DLF City Phase-2 are terrified to step out these days after 4-5 cobras were spotted in the area two days ago.

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Worried about the safety of their children, locals say vacant plots and locked houses with wild weeds in the vicinity are the perfect breeding ground for deadly reptiles.

According to experts, the burrows get flooded during monsoon and as a result, snakes come out and stray into residential areas in search of a place to hide.

There are nearly 11,000 residential plots lying vacant in DLF City alone. This is in addition to the built-up houses locked and abandoned by owners, mostly realtors, in Gurgaon’s posh locality.

Neither DLF developer nor the wildlife department has the know-how to catch and rescue the snakes, residents alleged. Deepak Kapoor, a resident of M-Block, said he was shocked to see a one-and-a-half feet long cobra just outside the gate of his house on Wednesday evening.

“As I went to open the gate, I spotted a small cobra. I immediately got a torch but it slithered away in a nearby bush,” he added. Children often venture into the vacant plots to get their football or cricket balls, at the risk of being bitten by some dangerous insect or reptile.

Another resident Devender Chhabra claimed to have spotted a large lizard. “I think such reptiles are deadly in nature and humans die instantly if bitten. My neighbour saw a large snake the other day. I think cobras have been laying eggs in the vacant plots,” he said. DLF officials from the maintenance wing said they would remove weeds from vacant plots if not covered by boundary walls. They said they were helpless if the plots were covered and houses were locked.