Agra: Langurs deployed to end monkey menace at railway stations

Railway authorities in Agra have hired langurs at different railway stations to ward off monkeys that are creating nuisance on platforms, electric lines and transmission systems.

Menacing monkeys are creating problems for passengers and shopkeepers at the railway stations as they snatch food items and bags and run away.

In a bid to tackle the problem, langurs have been deployed at four stations- Agra Cant., Raja Mandi, Agra Fort and Mathura.

Station in-charge officer of Raja Mandi stations, Anil Sharma, on Saturday said the passengers were also to be blamed for the problem.

"Passengers feed leftover food to monkeys. The monkeys are quiet if they keep getting the food but when they don't they attack and snatch it from the passengers. So somewhere, these passengers are responsible for monkey menace here," said Sharma adding, "The railway has deployed langurs to tackle the problem."

A passenger, Rekha, said that it had become difficult to sit at the platform.

"The monkeys scare the children, snatch their food and when we try to shoo them away, they don't go. They also pick up bags and run away," she said.

When asked about the solution, she added, "Civic body must be called and they should take away the monkeys from here."

Shopkeepers complained that they could not hang packet of chips or other packages food items as monkeys would snatch them as well.

"We cannot hang packets in our shops due to monkey menace as they snatch everything and run away. They also trouble customers who carry bags. It is a big problem here," said a shopkeeper, Makan Singh.

The caretaker of the langur will get Rs 12,000.