Mega plan for a monkey-free Delhi launched

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 22: This is definitely no monkey business. At a recent high-level meeting in the Ministry of Environment and Forests, ...

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 22: This is definitely no monkey business. At a recent high-level meeting in the Ministry of Environment and Forests, a mega plan to rehabilitate the estimated 5,000 monkeys in the city was worked out. The presence of monkeys at North Block and South Block among other important places in the capital has been causing serious concern for several years.

The scale of involvement of various agencies matches the implementation of the MRTS system in the city. The enclosures will be made by the Central Construction wing of the CPWD, will be funded by the Ministry of Urban Development, maintenance of the monkeys would be done by the NDMC and the agency responsible for catching them would be MCD.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests, in consultation with the Chief Wildlife Wardens, would transfer them to the neighbouring states of UP, Haryana and Punjab after three months.

The site at Rajokri forest near Aya Nagar which is ideal as after mining was stopped, the pits form a convenient water-body for these animals, was shown to the heads of the various agencies and mutually agreed upon. The total cost of the operation: Rs 6 lakh.

There is an intermediate stage as the MCD has been directed to round them up even before the enclosure have been erected. Till then, they will find a home at the Delhi zoo which has agreed to extend their hospitality.Officials maintain that catching the simians is an uphill task. Officials at the MCD say that there are no contractors available at the standard rate of Rs 150 for catching a monkey. The Ministry then suggested that the rate be increased to Rs 250, as the success of the operation depends on catching them. In fact, tenders were taken out in newspapers to attract contractors to the scheme.

They seem to be reluctant because they claim most of the times they are beaten up by the residents of the area consisting that they are seen as avatar of Hanuman.

Incidentally, it is the residents who with their complaints have forced this massive operation. South Block, North Block, defence areas and colonies in South Delhi have often written to the forest department to free them of the apes.

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There were two instances where different agencies showed a novel method of dealing with them: When they started troubling the Ministry of Urban Development, they called the CPWD, who came with sedative-laced bananas. It immediately put a truckful of them to sleep for some time and they only woke up to find themselves in UP forests.

In another instance, a defence officer in South Block, worried that the monkeys might walk away with defence secrets8217; file, got a black langur from another battalion who was trained to scare the living daylights out of them, though only for a day or two.

8220;We have tried putting them in forests around Delhi but they come back to urban areas because of the easy food which they get from people,8221;said H.C. Dhawan, Chief Wildlife Warden.

Maybe, this time they will stay put where they belong.