Koottanad, Pattambi: Piles and lines of rusting vehicles are familiar sights on police station premises across the country. These eyesores even pose threat to the lives of police personnel as well as public as they are breeding grounds for mosquitoes and safe havens for reptiles.
Recently a few odd visitors prompted the police at Chaliserry to summon snake-catchers to the station. The snake-catchers did not disappoint. They ‘detained’ two snakes, a python and a cobra, from among the vehicles, confiscated, dumped and rusting on the station premises for decades.
Police personnel sighted the reptiles when they were auctioning 20 seized vehicles. A search launched a week ago after seeing snakes had gone in vain.
Though two snakes were caught, the residents of the police quarters at Chalissery, located in Palakkad's Pattambi taluk, are still a worried lot. Police personnel said more poisonous snakes are still slithering freely in the area.
The residents said the vehicles dumped around the quarters have been home to centipedes, snakes, and stray dogs and palm civets. Their presence has made life difficult, the residents said. Besides, the rusting vehicles have been contaminating water also. Decomposing carcasses are yet another problem. The stench gets unbearable, and it is almost impossible to find the carcass among heaps of metal.
Though the vehicles, which cannot be used, have been posing a serious health problem, no effort has been made to remove them, the residents said.
