Civic agency fails to contain GK’s monkey menace

Residents have approached South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) several times to catch hold of the monkeys, but in vain

For a month now, the residents of Greater Kailash-I have been living in terror. About 12 monkeys have been creating nuisance and damaging property. They jump on the overhead tanks, raid kitchens and remove ropes meant for hanging clothes. The animals attack the colony for a few hours every morning.

The animals have become a threat to senior citizens visiting temples in the morning. (Sanchit Khanna /HT Photo)

Residents have approached South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) several times to catch hold of the monkeys, but in vain. “They attack and harass people for food. Some of the domestic helps have refused to come to the area,” said Sureena Arora, block R resident.

The animals have become a threat to senior citizens visiting temples in the morning. Also, they have destroyed a number of plants and broken flower pots kept on terraces and balconies.

“The animals have been deprived of their natural habitat. There used to be a green patch here (old VSNL area), which was cleared for construction. This was bound to happen, they are hungry and aggressive,” said MK Gupta, member of GK Residents Association (GKRA).

Gupta said that when he approached the SDMC officials, they told him to get hold of a monkey-catcher, who they had roped in for the work some time ago on a contract basis. “There have been reports of monkeys biting residents in other areas,” he said.

A senior SDMC official said, “We will send a monkey-catcher to GK-I. We only have one catcher for the central zone. We have advertised for hiring more and will make sure they join in soon to contain the menace.” He added that the agency has been unable to retain catchers who leave a few months after joining. They are paid Rs 1,200 per monkey.