Kerala: King cobra hitches ride in car for over 200 km
Kottayam, Aug 31: A king cobra travelled in a car for over 200 km and lived in its engine bay for a week before being finally rescued by wildlife personnel in Kerala, according to the vehicle owner.
The incident was reported from Arpookara here. The forest officials rescued the 10-foot-long snake from the compound of an individual here on Wednesday, and said they would release it in a safe place later.
The venomous reptile was believed to have crawled into the car of Sujith, a resident of Arpookara, from Malappuram when he went there on August 2.
He said some local people had told him that the snake was seen getting into his car when it was parked near a check-post at Vazhikadavu there.
But, he could not find the unwelcome guest, he said.
A sense of anxiety gripped him and his family as they came across a snake skin (probably the reptile moulted) that was found hanging out of the car on Sunday.
Again a thorough check of the car was made, but the creepy crawler was not spotted.
Instead, it was found in the compound of a house, 500 m away from his house this morning.
As the neighbours were also aware about the doubt shared by Sujith about the suspected presence of the snake in his car, they informed him soon, who in turn alerted the wildlife personnel.
The presence of the snake in a place where king cobras are not normally seen caused curiosity and concern among local residents.
The forest officials also said it may have reached here safely under the vehicle.
It was shifted to the forest office later and would be released in a safe place, they added.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
