Report by Amarnath Parida; Jagatsinghpur: The villagers of Erasama block are living in panic condition as they are scared to sleep in their house and to go paddy field for cultivation with poisonous snakes slithering around.

Villagers of Pokhiarapada and other panchyats are living in panicky condition due to rise snake menace in Erasama area. Meanwhile, two persons have been killed and nearly 18 persons have been seriously injured by snake bite. Farmers have sacred to go paddy field for cultivation in which many farmers have not yet started thier cultivation.

"I was awake the whole night to guard against snakes which were seen in large numbers in the area," said a farmer Prakash Swain Srichandanpur village a farmer who was living in panicky condition after death of two persons in this area.

Sources said that two persons have been killed and 18 persons have been seriously injured in last one month in different villages of Erasama areas. One Narayan Bastia, 27 of Bhajana village died recently by snake bite while another woman has also killed due to snake bite while they were working in paddy field.

Besides this, villagers recovered nearly 26 poisonous snakes from palm tree while one woman was seriously injured by snake bite near palm tree in Jirelo village of Erasama area. On the other hand, farmers have not yet started transplanting of paddy crop in many areas due to threat of snake.

One panicky grieved farmer Premanda Swain of Srichandanpur village said ‘my wife Shantilata is struggling with life in SCB medical and hospital , Cuttack as she has be treated from five days ‘ . He added.

Another farmer Sudarsan Bastia said ‘the life of the villagers of Pokhariapada panchyat are under threat so I have not started transplanting in five acres of land due to snake menace ‘ Other farmer said our life is more precious than cultivation so we have decided to stop cultivation this year.

Sarpanch of Pokhariapada Mr Pranab Kumar Swain "The fear of snakebites is so serious that people are now terrified to sleep at night with snakes of all sizes moving around so not only cultivation but normal life has been paralyzed . We have sought the intervention of Snake Help Line and health officials to stock anti-snake venom injection & capsules for the treatment of affected people ‘- he added.

Medical officer ,Erasama hospital Mr Pramoda Kumar Nayak said ‘ people are living in panicky condition due to rise of snake menace so I have sought the intervention of higher authority to supply adequate anti-snake venom injection & capsules to Erasama hospital for treatment of affected people’. – He added .