Prayagraj acts on monkey menace, may set model for other U.P. cities
Menace is not restricted to Prayagraj alone but is a growing urban problem across cities in Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Mathura and Varanasi
Amidst rising incidents of monkey menace, including attacks on residents of different localities, the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to employ monkey catchers for the first time.
The plan is to get the monkeys caught from the worst affected localities like Jhunsi and Daraganj etc, and get them released in appropriate places having their natural habitat away from densely populated localities, informed civic officials.
The step comes close on the heels of Allahabad high court issuing notices to the Animal Welfare Board of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Uttar Pradesh government, and others in response to a PIL highlighting the rising monkey population, increasing man-monkey conflicts, and the starvation and inhumane conditions faced by monkeys. The division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra on May 6 has also directed the Centre, the UP government and local municipal bodies to inform it about any action plans implemented or proposed to address the issue.
Importantly, the petitioner in this case is from Ghaziabad—underscoring how the menace is not restricted to Prayagraj alone but is a growing urban problem across cities in Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Mathura and Varanasi. In the state capital too, frequent reports of monkeys entering homes, snatching food, and attacking residents have become common. With Prayagraj now taking the lead by formally tasking its municipal corporation with monkey-catching operations, it will be interesting to see whether other civic bodies follow suit, especially as they are also required to submit action plans to the court.
Civic officials shared that in a major policy shift, the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation has been officially assigned the responsibility of capturing monkeys within the city limits—a task previously handled solely by the Forest Department. While the municipal corporation had been funding these operations earlier too, the actual responsibility now rests entirely on its shoulders.
To initiate the process, the PMC has issued a tender inviting agencies to carry out monkey-catching work. The maximum permissible cost per monkey has been set at ₹1,650, with the tender to be awarded to the agency quoting the lowest rate, shared Dr Bijay Amrit Raj, the Municipal Veterinary and Welfare Officer. He said that instructions from the municipal commissioner have led them to seek comparative rates and procedures from other districts and the Forest Department.
The agency selected by the PMC will be responsible for capturing monkeys using humane methods. This includes luring them with fruits and food and then trapping them in nets without causing harm. Once captured, the monkeys will be released into forested areas away from the city, in coordination with the Forest Department, he shared.
Dr Raj said that operations will be carried out in areas from where public complaints are received most frequently. Particular attention will also be given to public places, railway stations, and tourist spots where monkey nuisance is a recurring issue. The highest number of complaints have so far been reported from Allahpur, the railway station, and the BSNL office area.
The importance of the move can be gauged from the fact that around dozens of people have reportedly suffered monkey bites across the city in different localities in the past just few weeks.
Localities known to suffer from monkey menace include areas around Daraganj, Pritam Nagar, Abubakarpur, Kandhaipur, Subedarganj, Mirapur and areas near Dufferin Hospital. Apart from these localities of the city, people are also troubled by monkeys at Naini, Jhunsi and Chheoki as well.
As per locals, there are more than 150 monkeys in Jhunsi area itself that roam around in troops of varied sizes. In the recent weeks, more than two dozen people have become victims of monkey attacks in just Jhunsi.
“Monkeys barge into houses and take away goods and clothes, even break into the fridge and take away fruits and sweets, tear and take away clothes drying on the roof, attack small children. Apart from the Dharamshala area of New Jhunsi, people of Scheme No. 2 and 3 of Awas Vikas Colony are more troubled by this problem,” shared a Jhunsi resident Hemant Kesarwani, who works as a trader.
Due to lack of food and water in the summer, monkeys have become very aggressive and are attacking people even without any provocation. The situation is such that people have started avoiding even going to the roof of their houses, he claimed.
Locals shared that recently, Dev Bahadur, a retired government employee living in Awas Vikas colony in Jhunsi, had gone to the roof of his house recently when a group of monkeys attacked him. He fell down due to the attack and suffered fractures in the hip and arm. He was forced to remain in the hospital for many days.
“His condition is slowly improving but we now totally avoid going to the roof,” shared his wife Pushpalata.
Six-month exercise
Dr Bijay Amrit Raj, the Municipal Veterinary and Welfare Officer, said that a three-member team of vendor that would be entrusted with the task of catching the monkeys and releasing them at appropriate places in coordination with forest department, would undertake the work assisted by PMC personnel. PMC staff would include a driver and four workers overseen by him. The vehicle for the exercise would be provided by the PMC. The exercise would continue for six months.
