Gurugram residents complain of rising monkey menace

Residents in Gurugram report increasing monkey attacks, causing injuries and damage, while officials remain unresponsive to their complaints.

Residents across Gurugram, particularly those living near Aravali hills range, allege that they are facing an escalating monkey menace, asserting that areas such as sectors 54, 55, 56, 76, 79, Gwal Pahari and Ghata villages along Golf Course Road, Golf Course Extension Road, and Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, which lie at the foothills of the Aravallis, are affected the most by monkey bites and attacks.

Residents say that the numbers of monkeys have increased over the past two to three years. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

At Godrej 101, Sector 79, residents shared that almost four-five security guards have been attacked and one was even left bleeding severely. “Three to four children have been attacked, leaving families terrified. For over a year, we have been sending emails, calls and complaints to the Municipal Corporation of Manesar (MCM), but no one seems to take the issue seriously. Monkeys are attacking people in broad daylight,” said Sumit Kumar, RWA general secretary.

Bandita Samal, resident of Godrej 101, said that her husband was attacked by monkeys while he was standing on his balcony. “My husband was on the balcony when a monkey suddenly attacked him. He was bleeding profusely and had to be rushed to the hospital. Despite such a serious incident, no official came forward or offered help. It’s disgraceful. We had to spend over ₹5,000 for rabies vaccinations and medical treatment,” she said.

Meanwhile, Kusum Sharma, a resident of Suncity Township in Sector 54, said the monkey menace has increased over the past two to three years. “I have been living here for five to six years. In the last few years, more of them have been coming into residential areas. 30-40 monkeys visit almost regularly,” she said.

“They come and damage pipelines, overhead tanks and break flower pots in the society. It costs almost ₹30,000 to carry out the repairs. We have also complained to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), but no action has been taken,” she shared. “Recently, MCG sent an official with a cage to capture the monkeys, but the cage was broken and it escaped.”

Sudhir Bhardwaj, a resident of Sector 56, said the aggressive monkeys pose the greatest threat. “They come in search of food, enter homes and take items from the fridge or from tables. Sometimes they arrive in groups, making it difficult to drive them away. Even langurs, which were earlier used as a deterrent, are no longer allowed by wildlife and forest officials,” he said.

The Sohna sub-divisional hospital has also been affected. “I joined four months ago, and since then, monkeys have entered our dispensary twice. They drank cough syrups and scattered tablets everywhere. It was a complete mess. They even break windows,” said Dr Ranvijay Yadav, senior medical officer (SMO).

Vaishali Rana, an environmentalist, said the increasing intrusion of monkeys into residential areas is due to the shrinking green cover in the city. “In June this year, around 40,000 trees were cut for a new real-estate project in Sector 54 along Golf Course Road. This is not the monkeys’ fault; it is the real estate development that is destroying their habitat,” she said.

Speaking on possible solutions, Rana suggested that city forests and nagar vans of around two acres each can be developed in different parts of Gurugram.

When asked about the matter, a MCG official said, “We are aware of the issue and are taking steps to address it.”

Meanwhile, Hitendra Sharma, joint commissioner at MCM, did not respond to calls and texts from the HT team for a response by the time of going to print.

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