Monkeys again declared 'vermin' in Shimla
Shimla: They attack furiously, bite, contaminate drinking water sources, steal, tear, break, snatch even enter hospitals and government offices.
In June 2019, a highest ever 104 cases of monkey attacked were reported at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) hospital, Shimla alone. One school going student, attacked and injured by a group of monkeys, few days back, was referred to PGI Chandigarh in critical condition.
But, this is just a tip in the ice-burg. The fact remains that popular hill town — Shimla, is facing an alarming situation due to monkey population, exceeding town's carrying capacity. Thus, there is fresh spurt in the attacks by monkeys in Shimla, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh.
The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), has once again issued notification under section 62 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972 to declare monkeys 'vermin' in the areas of Shimla Municipal Corporation, mainly the urban town, for one year. The notification was issued last week.
Interestingly, this is third-time when the MoEF has issued the notification, after the lapse of earlier one. It was in March 2016 when the MoEF had declared the monkeys 'vermin', for six months, subsequently extended for one year.
Not alone this, in 2016 itself, then MoEF had also declared monkeys vermin in 37 tehsils in the rural areas of Himachal Pradesh to relieve farmers of serious problem, caused by monkeys, destroying their crops. Since then, the number of such tehsils have already increased to 91.
State's forest minister Govind Thakur said, "Admittedly, there is no let-up in the problem, both in the urban Shimla and also the rural areas. The people are not ready to kill the monkeys due to religious feelings. To my information, just less than a dozen monkeys were killed by private persons, but number attacks have gone high".
Senior medical superintendent IGMC, Shimla Dr Janak Raj gave a shocking data of cases of monkey attacks, which the hospital has maintained since 2015 upto June 2019 with monthly break-up.
"In June 2019, 141 cases of monkey attack cases were highest ever as compared to 2015,2016,2017 and 2018.The lowest was 13 in December 2015, 15 in November 2017 and 21 in January 2019. Other months during these years, have reported even 97 cases or also 84, during a single month," said Dr Janak Raj.
If that is the scale in just one government hospital, others like Deen Dayal Upadhaya hospital or few others, can highlight the gravity of the problem.
The question now rises what purpose the MoEF notification will serve in any manner. The sterilisation of the monkeys – a project started by HP's wildlife department to control monkey population, seems have not given any respite.
"I am totally opposed to killing of monkeys. But, my concern remains where is this money going in the name of sterilisation of monkeys? There are funds coming from the centre, and state government has its own budget. I suspect some corruption angle in it," said Vandana Misra, a High Court lawyer, who was a counsel in a PIL to oppose monkey killing.
Monkeys have been an old problem in Himachal Pradesh — one that the sterilisation of 1.25 lakh of the animals over the last 12 years has been unable to solve. Declaring monkey vermin is also not a solution it looks. But, citizens continue to grapple with the problem, now looks much more serious than before.
Crop damages in the rural areas has forced the farmers to abandon fields, an annual loss of Rs 500 cr, the government admits.
