Hyderabad, September 16: As the monkey menace continues to plague citizens in several parts of the Twin Cities, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is in a dilemma of its own. While GHMC officials are doing their job by trapping
monkeys in residential localities, the Forest Department has expressed its helplessness in releasing the animals in jungle areas of adjoining districts of the State.
A few days ago, the Forest Department had dashed off a letter to the GHMC informing the corporation that there is a serious hitch with regard to releasing the trapped monkeys.
Forest Department officials say that the local administration officials of various districts and elected representatives of the identified relocation areas are preventing the release of the monkeys. District officials say that Hyderabad’s problem is being shifted to their areas.
The Forest Department has in the meanwhile asked the GHMC to keep the captured monkeys in cages at New Bhoiguda and other centres and ensure that they are looked after properly. The animals have to be kept in hygienic wooden shelters till suitable release sites are identified. The Forest Department
has asked the GHMC to create more monkey shelters in consultation with the Animal Welfare Board.
The department has also accused the GHMC of doing precious little to create awareness in the public about the resultant problems of feeding monkeys and their shooting population.
Meanwhile, the GHMC continues to be flooded with calls regarding the monkey menace from citizens in Padma Rao Nagar, Sultan Bazar, Alwal, Osmania University campus, East and West Marredpally, Tarnaka, Gandhinagar, Kavadiguda, Santoshnagar, Esamia Bazar, Seri Lingampally, Osmania General Hospital and several localities of surrounding circles.
GHMC officials told Expresso that they are now in a Catch 22 situation as they cannot trap more monkeys unless the ones already with them are released into the forests. And they can’t say no to SOS calls from harried citizens either. The municipal corporation officials admit that there are about 5,000 monkeys creating havoc in various parts of the city.
Meanwhile, the GHMC officials said that they are holding discussions with the Forest Department to identify alternate locations to release the captured.
-Agencies