After state guideline on snake bite, organisation to push for compensation

After the State Forest department released an exhaustive guidelines for snake rescue and release last week, an organisation working on snake rescue have raised demands to the state government to start giving compensation to snakebite victims. The organisation will address several such key issues to be part of an Action Plan which will be submitted to the state government.

A decision on this regard was taken during the recently concluded 'Maharashtra Rajya Sarp Mitra Sammelan and Sarp Vigyaan Parishad' held last week at Mahad.

As per Herpetologist Kedar Bhide, founder-president of Reptile Rescue and Study Centre (RRSC), said that the conclave saw a gathering of around 1,000 snake rescuers and it was decided that not only the guidelines issued by the state will be followed and implemented but with help of the Sarpmitra they would also launch Zero Bite initiative across the state for achieving zero snakebite deaths in the state.

"We have also taken some key resolutions like requesting state government to prepare primary health centres to treat snakebite victim by providing them with equipment as well as medicines. Also, currently death of a snakebite victim is not notified and we demanded it to be made notifiable," said Bhide adding that the state also needs to begin compensating for deaths caused due to snakebite through revenue department.

Some of the key points of guidelines are identifying whether there was a need for snake rescue, keeping records of snake rescue and release in a prescribed format.