PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Continuing with its monkey-catching drive across the city, the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) on Wednesday captured nine monkeys, taking the total number captured simians to 28 in five days. The five-day drive which started on May 23 and concluded on Wednesday. It followed repeated complaints from residents about the growing monkey menace.
Senior municipal veterinary officer Dr Varun Aggarwal stated that the special campaign had been carried out under the orders of mayor Saurabh Thapliyal after complaints were received through the CM Helpline, the corporation’s toll-free number and the veterinary section helpline. “Special teams were deployed in different areas to capture monkeys that had reportedly been creating problems for residents,” he added.
Sharing more details, he stated that three monkeys had been caught from ONGC and Rajendra Nagar areas on May 23. “On May 25, nine monkeys were captured from Harrawala. On May 26, seven monkeys were caught from Subhash Nagar and Nakronda. Another nine monkeys were captured from Kuwanwala and Nawada areas on May 27, taking the total number of monkeys caught during the five-day drive to 28.
He stated that all captured monkeys were safely released in forest areas, including the Asharodi range, following guidelines issued by the Forest department.
He also added that the process for issuing an e-tender for future monkey-catching operations is underway so that the issue is managed more effectively in the coming months.
