Residents of Shivalik Nagar area in Haridwar alleged that the forest department and the local administration have failed to take effective measures to tackle the human-monkey conflict in the area. The locals complain that despite repeated complaints to the authorities concerned, the required measures have not been taken so far while the monkey sterilisation centre constructed at an estimated cost of Rs60 lakh at Chidiyapur in Haridwar remains ineffective in the absence of veterinary doctors and other aspects.
The human-simian conflict in Shivalik Nagar is such that the residents have to hang their clothes indoors to dry. The farmers and orchard owners aver that the macaques have caused considerable damage to their cultivation. A local said that residents were living in fear of the macaques who also snatch food items from homes.
The macaques react aggressively if people try to shoo them away with cases of people being bitten by the simians also being reported. The residents complain that no action has been taken so far despite many written applications being submitted to the forest department officials.
When asked about the situation, the Haridwar forest sub divisional officer Sant Ram said, “Sterilisation of monkeys had to be stopped on account of lack of funds. The contractor who had earlier trapped the monkeys from the city areas later refused to capture the monkeys as outstanding bills amounting to Rs7.50 lakh remain to be paid.”
It is learnt that while a total of 1,507 monkeys were trapped so far only 350 of them have been sterilised in the Chidiyapur center. It is pertinent to mention that the monkey sterilisation centre was set up at Chidiyapur in October 2015 at a cost of about Rs60 lakh
The forest department also hired a doctor from Kotdwar animal husbandry department for sterilisation work. Besides, a doctor was trained by the experts from Himachal Pradesh. But fund crunch hampered the continuation of sterilisation works.
“In the sterilisation drive undertaken by the forest department, we trapped over 1,500 monkeys from the city areas and sterilised 350 monkeys and released them in the deep forest. But due to required fund not being provided, the sterilisation was stopped and has not been undertaken for the past three months. Many applications have been received by the residents, but we are helpless,” added Sant Ram.