Monkey menace in UP continues to grow amid two departments’ turf war

Officials aware of the development said a high-level meeting convened chief secretary SP Goyal here on Friday to resolve the issue ended without a breakthrough

Even as complaints of monkey attacks, damage to property and disruption to daily life continue to rise across cities and towns in Uttar Pradesh, a bureaucratic deadlock between the forest and the urban development departments has left the state government struggling to frame a clear response as to who will catch and rehabilitate monkeys just days ahead of a crucial high court hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition.

The petitioner in his PIL argued that after monkeys were denotified from the Schedule of the Wildlife Protection Act, the responsibility of their management shifted to local bodies under the municipal laws. (For Representation)

Officials aware of the development said a high-level meeting convened chief secretary SP Goyal here on Friday to resolve the issue ended without a breakthrough with both the departments maintaining that the responsibility of catching, transferring, rehabilitating and feeding as demanded in the PIL does not lie with them.

“The impasse has assumed urgency as the ongoing PIL seeking effective measures to deal with the growing monkey menace is scheduled for hearing again next week by the Allahabad high court,” they pointed out.

Hearing the PIL filed by a social activist Vineet Sharma, the HC in September last took a serious view of unchecked money menace across UP and directed the state’s urban development department to submit an affidavit detailing concrete steps taken or proposed to be taken by it which has been made a party to the case by the petitioner.

However, urban development department officials argue that the department lacks both expertise and infrastructure to handle wildlife, a task that had traditionally been performed by the forest department.

At the centre of the dispute lies a key legal change. It is pointed out that until 2023, monkeys were listed under the schedule of the Central Wildlife (Protection) Act, making their management the responsibility of the forest department. In 2023, monkeys were identified from the schedule, triggering concern over jurisdiction. Since then, forest officials have taken the position that they are no longer legally bound to act on directions related to monkey management.

The petitioner in his PIL argued that after monkeys were denotified from the Schedule of the Wildlife Protection Act, the responsibility of their management shifted to local bodies under the municipal laws.

Urban development officials, on the other hand, insist that catching and relocating monkeys requires trained personnel, specialised equipment and scientific protocols none of which the department currently possesses. “This work was always handled by the forest department. Developing the required expertise and resources by us will take time,” a senior urban development officer said.

The situation has been further compounded by developments at the national level. In November, the Wildlife Board of India, chaired by the Union minister for environment, forest and climate change, recommended restoring monkeys to the wildlife schedule, effectively bringing them back under the department’s jurisdiction. However, the Centre is yet to amend the Act, giving effect to the proposal.

During the chief secretary’s meeting, the forest department officials, according to sources, maintained that until the law was formally amended, they could not be directed to act on the PIL. The urban development departments, sources revealed, countered that the Wildlife Board’s recommendations made the restoration of the delisted schedule a foregone conclusion and that the forest department should take the responsibility in anticipation of the amendment.

With the high court hearing of the PIL only a few days away, senior officials acknowledge that the government may have to present at least an interim plan to avoid a possible judicial censure. One option under consideration, according to sources, is to temporarily entrust the urban development department with managing the issue, while a long-term framework is worked out.

“Some way has to be found before January 13. We cannot go to court empty-handed,” an official familiar with the deliberations said, adding that the administration is under pressure to demonstrate coordination and intent, even if legal clarity remains elusive.

Meanwhile, for citizens facing daily harassment from marauding monkey troops, the turf war between the two departments has only prolonged the problem.