Tata Steel's Sukinda Chromite Mine holds 'Snakes Are Friends' campaign

BHUBANESWAR: Tata Steel's Sukinda Chromite Mine (SCM), located in Jajpur district of Odisha, launched a 'Snakes Are Friends' campaign to create awareness on conservation and importance of snakes.

The campaign, launched in Sukinda on the occasion of World Forest Day yesterday, aims to create awareness mainly among school children, women Self-Help Groups (SHG) and farmers, who regularly encounter the reptiles in the fields.

Bhubaneswar-based voluntary organisation 'Snake Helpline', which works towards rescue and rehabilitation of snakes and helps public in peaceful co-existence with them, will provide expertise and train persons of Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS) to carry out the campaign, a company release said.

Subhendu Mallick, General Secretary and founder of Snake Helpline, had an interactive session on popular myths versus realities of snakes, identification of venomous and non-venomous snakes, snake-bite symptoms, first-aid and importance of snakes in biodiversity.

Students of nearby schools, members of women SHGs, farmers from Sukinda and Bamnipal area, Tata Steel officers, members SCM Workers Union attended the session.

The campaign was launched in the presence of V P Upadhaya, Director (Special), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Soumya Ranjan Behera, Senior Scientist, Odisha State Bio-Diversity Board, Pankaj Satija, General Manager, Operations, Ferro Alloys and Minerals Division, Tata Steel, Mr Shibojyoti Dutta, Head, Climate Change and Strategic Planning, Tata Steel and other dignitaries.