As the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was preparing to re-open its passenger services after a gap of over five months, a four-foot-long venomous cobra emerged from a station in south Delhi. The metro authorities immediately alerted Wildlife SOS, a voluntary organisation engaged in wildlife conservation, which rescued the snake and released it into its natural habitat.
The voluntary agency had recently rescued a python from the same metro station, Saket, and also a cobra from the Okhla Bird Sanctuary Metro Station, both in south Delhi.
Wildlife SOS said in a statement, cobras inhabit a wide range of habitats in the country and they can even be found in heavily populated urban areas.
"Despite their reputation of being one of the deadliest snakes in India, cobras seldom bite but will give out a warning sign by displaying their hood. However, it is necessary to let trained snake rescuers handle such situations. We are grateful to the DMRC authorities for their cooperation", said Kartik Satyanarayan, co-founder of Wildlife SOS.
The Delhi Metro will resume its services for the public from 7 September in a calibrated manner based on a standard operating procedure that will be issued by its administrative ministry – the federal of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
As per the latest guidelines, Delhi Metro will be resuming its services for public from 7 September 2020 onwards in a calibrated manner. Details on the Metro functioning & its usage will be shared once the detailed SOP on Metros is issued by MoHUA. #MetroBackOnTrack pic.twitter.com/jBFXcdDLhP
— Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (@OfficialDMRC) August 29, 2020
The Delhi Metro, the lifeline of India’s national capital and two satellite cities – Noida and Gurgaon, carries 1.5 million passengers on an average day.
