JUDGMENT

As Kerala steps into a new academic year this June, our newspapers are filled not only with stories of hope but with heartbreaking reports of school-going children and even elders dying from snake bites almost every day. One of the major man- made causes is vacant, unattended residential plots in residential areas choked with wild vegetation and tall grass, which are silently turning into ideal breeding grounds for snakes. When such negligence begins to cost human lives, the issue is no longer a mere nuisance but a public safety emergency. In such a situation, who must act and how soon? In such situations, I am of the considered opinion that the jurisdictional Grama Panchayat has a major role to abate such nuisances. If a vacant plot, which is completely overgrown with vegetation and wild grass, transforms it into a breeding ground for venomous snakes and the same becomes a threat to the lif