| Change of govt leaves ASVL project in the.. |
| Tuesday, 22 July 2008 | |
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Political change in the Sindh province has pushed the Rs200 million ‘Anti snake venom laboratory’ (ASVL) project down the government’s priority list. The project, which was approved by former Chief Minister, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, involved the manufacture of inexpensive local anti-snake bite injections and medicines to provide treatment to the people. Urs Behrani, introducing himself as the ‘king of cobra’ in Sindh, told The News that after the approval of the project by the former CM, the file was sent to the Sindh Finance Department for further implementation. The site for the laboratory was identified at the Liaquat University of Medical Sciences. However, the political change in the province has pushed the most important project of its kind in doldrums. According to the project, Behrani said, a 400-acre plot in Mayani Forest, on National Highway near Hyderabad was being allotted to establish a cobra farm. In the beginning, the plan was to keep 5,000 snakes of 56 local species including precious poisonous species such as cobra, viper, krait and russle viper at the cobra farm. He said that the Liaquat University of Medical Sciences, Planning & Development, Health Department and CM House had to implement the project, in which he (Behrani) was appointed as a venom expert, representing the CM house. Dr Naeem Qureshi, presently working as Dean of Liaquat University of Medical Sciences was to be the ASVL project director, Behrani said, adding that ignorant political bigwigs and bureaucrats were usually not interested in implementing the project. He allegedly said that National Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS) manufactures anti-snake bite injections but the process is unnatural. For instance, he said that the NIHS awards an annual contract to a company, which hires traditional snake charmers for poaching reptiles. The NIHS reportedly kills reptiles and uses its poison and meat for manufacturing the medicine, he explains. Behrani said that the process of getting poison is a natural phenomenon anywhere in the world. Snake experts catch reptiles in their habitats and after getting poison through the natural process release them alive. These reptiles then restore their venom through natural nutrition. Killing large numbers of reptiles annually may cause the specie’s extinction. In fact, many of them have been declared as endangered in the world. If we adopt the proposed natural methodology to extract poison, then there will be more venom for exploring the world market, he suggested. Behrani claims that the imported homeopathic medicines available in the local market including Lechises, Naja, Prutales and Cedron are manufactured through local snakes. He said that the purpose of establishing an anti-venom laboratory is to provide inexpensive medicines in hospitals and small towns. This is because, at present, hospitals in the province do not have proper medicines and injections to save snake bite victims. Every year hundreds of patients are brought to different hospitals in the summer and rainy seasons where the poor cannot afford to buy costly injections. The self-claimed ‘king of cobra’, who has a cobra farm at his native village near Tando Jam, warned that several rare snake species are fast becoming extinct in the province. He demanded that the present government set up an institution to preserve these species. He justified that the anti-snake venom laboratory will play a major role in producing inexpensive local medicines, which at present are inaccessible for the common man. Despite only having conventional education, Behrani has a large number of followers in different districts. He said that there are four major cobra farms at different places, which traditional snake charmers are running without the help of the government. He desires to conduct a research on the reptiles as according to him educational institutions here have failed to take responsibility in this regard. However, owing to the indifferent approach of certain authorities he is not optimistic about the future and waits for the day his dream can become a reality. |
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