Himachal HC concerned over monkey menace

Expressing concern over the death of a woman in Shimla last week owing to the monkey menace, the Himachal Pradesh High Court Wednesday vent its anguish over the lack of action to contain the problem.

Verbal orders have been passed from time to time but neither the state nor the union government has taken the requisite steps to check the monkey menace and manage stray dogs, a division bench of Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan observed.

The woman had died after falling off the roof of her house. According to the police, Mamta Sachdeva was on the balcony when she was attacked by the simians. She jumped off the balcony in panic.

A civil writ petition of 2003 is in the docket of this court for the last 11 years and other writ petitions are pending for the last more than four years, the bench said.

It said the additional director general (wildlife), government of India has not taken steps on the proposals sent by the state Nov 13, 2013, to deal with the menace.

"The growth of monkeys is at its peak and also the number of stray dogs is increasing day by day, which is causing threat to everybody and it is shocking to record that in the last week we have lost a precious life of young woman," the judges said.

"Keeping in view the orders passed from time to time and the above circumstances, this court has to pass coercive orders to save human lives and property, but we refrain to pass such orders at this stage and deem it proper to direct the assistant solicitor general to file compliance report in terms of orders passed by this court from time to time and also file report as to what steps were taken."

The court listed the next hearing in the matter on Dec 9.