| Monkey menace returns to Jammu city, Forest Deptt clueless | | |
Pankhuri Aggarwal
JAMMU, Oct 20: Himani Uppal, a resident of city area in Jammu, always takes a good look outside through the heavily grilled front window of her house, stepping out only if she does not see any rhesus monkey.
Like her, those living in many other city areas have begun to hesitate before venturing out. The increasing monkey menace in the city has finally caught the attention of the administration. Residents of different localities in the city are complaining about the unabated monkey menace as in evident from the increasing number of calls being received by the Jammu forest department as well as the Jammu police.
"I cannot feed my daughter in my house balcony and I have even stopped preparing pickles and drying papad or clothes on the terrace", said Sunana, a housewife, resident of old city area. Perhaps atop building, gates, cars, telephone and electricity wires, these dreadful monkeys are constantly on the lookout for people carrying eatables and do not hesitate to attack them. These are known to have entered homes and helped themselves from refrigerators.
Residents of old city, Mubarak mandi, shalamar areas have endless tales to narrate about the continuous monkey menace in the Jammu city. Those who have been affected have complained about the problem several times to the civic authorities, but there seems to be no full proof solution in sight. The officials even conceded that they are at a loss to figure out a permanent section to the problem. Ironic as it may seems, the monkey menace has resulted in people caging themselves in their houses and offices alike to avert the possibility of attack.
Among the places worst affected is the Mubarak mandi, where people worship monkeys, who Hindus think are gods. They indulge the animals with food in the hope that the Hanuman deity will be suitably propitiated and will cure all there hardships and worries.
The monkey menace is not less evident at the parade college, where it is a familiar sight to see groups of monkeys relaxing in the college corridors. Many students, especially girls, are too terror-stricken to step out of their classes.
"Ashisht Mehra, a resident of Shalamar, a student, was bitten by a monkey only last month and had to be injected with anti-rabies injection. Narrating the incident with fear still writ large on his face, he said, "I had gone with my sister to play, when a group of monkeys grabbed him and bit him. Luckily, my sister was present with me in the garden and she shooed away monkeys. Otherwise, it could have been worse," he recalls.
When Early Times contacted the officer of forest department, they said, "As an immediate measure, we have decided to sterilize hundred monkeys every month and have even decided to send a team to study the plan of action followed by the authorities in other states so as to keep a tab on the monkey menace here in Jammu". |
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